The City of Shadows
by Ambrose51
Summary: Many years after the Oblivion Crisis, there was a drastic change in the Empire. Now the Imperial City is in ruins, sealed off from the rest of the world. Those left inside will have to brave many dangers, including the shadows themselves...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Prologue_

After the death of Martin Septim, Chancellor Ocato, with the backing of the Elder Council, took absolute power. Cyrodiil prospered under his control, and the Empire underwent a period of regrowth after the Oblivion Crises. However, the other provinces were left to rot, and with higher taxes and puppet governments in place, talk of rebellion began to spread.

In 4E 18, a prophet dressed in robes black as night traveled to the Imperial City. He began to preach that something called the "Great Death" was approaching. Much to Ocato's surprise, the people listened to him, and treated him as if he were a saint. So Ocato, not wanting the man to amass power and start a riot, had him publicly executed. But when his head fell to the ground, a black vapor rose from his corpse, and his head began to speak.

"Fool," was all it said, and then the vapor dissipated. This greatly disturbed Ocato, but he did his best to put in out of his mind. That was, until the spirit of the prophet began to torture Ocato. According to him, the spirit was always with him, saying and doing things that only he could see and hear. A week later, Ocato snapped. He pulled a dagger and committed suicide right in the middle of a council meeting.

The members of the Council were horrified, and his successor, Chancellor Agramis, had the White-Gold Tower completely sealed off. He believed that the tower was now home to a vengeful spirit, and he hoped that he could keep it contained there. He was wrong.

Every night thereafter, a strange, blue mist descended upon the city, and every night, someone disappeared. Whether this was still the prophet's spirit, or whether it was the "Great Death," no one knew. But people began to panic. Eventually, Chancellor Agramis ordered a complete evacuation of the city by the Legion. Some were, of course, left behind. Some hid, not wishing to leave their home. Others ran for the sewers thinking they may be safer. The people languishing in the Imperial Prison were left behind, and the Mage's Guild refused to leave the Arcane University. These people's fates have been lost.

But before they lost contact with the outside world, the most powerful wizards of the Arcane University activated an ancient Ayelid artifact they had found hidden under the city. The inscriptions on it's side read: _And now we use this, our last hope, so that we may suppress our unknown foe_. The mages hoped that it would destroy the evil presence, but it failed. In fact, it did the opposite. When the machine activated, a great, red shield emerged from it, spreading all across the isles that the Imperial City had been built on. It seemed to stop the mist from leaving the city, but it also made it stronger. Instead of just one person disappearing, people were now going missing in groups. However, for whatever reason, the mist did not descend upon the University, nor buildings in which there was light.

Then, amid the chaos and turmoil, the Summerset Isles, Skyrim, Black Marsh, and Elsweyr rebelled. And they succeeded. The Summerset Isles cut of all contact with the world. Few came out, and none went in. The other provinces however, marched now on the remnants of the Imperial government, who had created a sprawling mess of houses and buildings along the coast of the Imperial City. Chancellor Agramis called out to any loyal to the empire for aid. The forces of Morrowind, now led by a Dunmer of Imperial blood, Valenwood, eager to have revenge on the Khajit for their years of torment, Hammerfell, staunch supporters of the Empire, as they had received the best treatment of all provinces, and High Rock, of whom the Chancellor was a native, marched for the glory of the Empire.

The two great forces met in front of the massive bridge that led to the Imperial City. A fierce battle took place, but the loyalists found themselves on the losing end. Out of desperation, Chancellor Agramis called for a retreat inside the city. Having no where else to go, the armies followed him. And the rebellious forces, not knowing what awaited them, pursued.

Another pitched battle took place inside the city, this time with the loyalists having the upper hand. The usurpers attempted to flee the city, only to find that they could not get past the red barrier. Backed into a corner, they fought on, and night soon fell. As soon as the sun fell out of sight, the mist dropped upon the clashing armies. It decimated both sides. No one knows just how many soldiers were lost that day, but according to the records of a few observers who had been watching from outside the shield, some miraculously survived. These few looked around and all of their compatriots, as well as the bodies of their fallen comrades, were gone. It was as if they had never existed, as even the blood that had covered the ground had disappeared. The remaining soldiers scattered, and no one knows what happened to them after that.

Now it is 5E 89, and the city is a desolate wasteland of crumbling buildings and overgrown streets. But some remain. Hiding away inside some of the stronger buildings, groups of survivors had formed. This is the story of one such group, and their attempts to survive….The City of Shadows.

**A/N: **_Ok, for the people that bothered to read all the way through that, you should know that this has absolutely nothing to do with A Cloak of Lies. If you've even read that... Anyway, this is something that I wrote about... I'd say two or three years ago, right about when Oblivion first came out. Well actually, the idea dates back to my Morrowind days, but nothing really took shape until Oblivion. I was very disappointed with the Imperial City. I expected so much more grandeur, you know? So, while I tried figuring out just how much bigger it is in lore, which I would estimate to be about three times larger, at least, the idea to write this in that setting occurred to me._

_When I posted this up before on a different site, I did get a lot of praise for it, but unfortunately, due to several issues, I never got anywhere with it. Well, I finally found this written down in an old box in my closet, so I decided that I'd just go ahead and post it up here, just to see some reactions and to determine whether I've gotten better or worse with age! I'm hoping better, but reading this back... Whew, I dunno._

_One last thing. Though I'm sure I'll get around to updating this, they'll probably be very sporadic, or at least until I either finish a Cloak of Lies or get more free time. Actually, those things should happen around the same time, so just give it about... Maybe two weeks, and I'll be able to update semi-regularly._


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer****:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadow****s**

_Chapter One_

Julius walked down the main hall of the Tiber Septim Hotel, passing the many repaired cracks in the walls that had occurred over the decades. As he passed the first room's door, he saw Marquis passed out on the floor, like he usually was around this time. Julius scowled and kicked him in the leg, startling the hung-over Breton.

"Wake up and follow me. There are things we have to do today while it's still light."

Marquis just grumbled and said something about not bothering him because he was royalty.

"You're not royalty you lazy good-for-nothing, you're just a drunk that tries to get out of work at every turn! But not today! There's something important I've discovered, and since you're obviously not doing anything, I'm conscripting you for the cause. Now get up, go to your room, and get ready."

Marquis muttered something under his breath, but did as he was told. Julius continued down the hall, ignoring the sounds of talking people and the bustle of activity as the gatherers prepared to go out and get their food for the day. Ordinarily, Julius would be doing the same thing, but not today. No, today he had a plan. A plan to try and get them all out of the cursed City of Shadows, as the people trapped inside had come to call it. This was, of course, not the first time he had come up with such a daring plan. But the fourteenth time's the charm, right?

Julius continued his trek down the halls until reaching a certain, almost beaten down door. Julius, wanting to wake the inhabitant up immediately, kicked it open. "Up and at em, Sven, we have exploring to do today!"

Julius dodged to the side as a book hit the wall, right where his face had been a moment earlier. "Now, now Sven. I know it's early and that you don't normally get up around this time, but this is important! I think I've finally figured out how to get through the shield!"

A deep voice came from under the blankets of a moderately sized bed in the very messy room. It was a rather small room, considering where they were, but it looked much smaller than it was, mostly because every spare piece of room was filled with clutter and junk. "Go away Julius. I'm sick to death of your ideas. This is my day off, so I say you go enlist someone else and leave me alone."

"Oh, come now Sven. You know you're the only one I trust! You have to come with me. Besides, almost everyone else is leaving already, and you're the only one left that has a sword." Julius took a moment to think back to Marquis. "Okay, you're the only one that has a sword and that I trust to not cut my head off."

"Fine. But I swear to the Spirit, if this one doesn't show some results, I'm never helping you again!"

--------------

Julius walked out of the Tiber Septim Hotel with Marquis and Sven behind him. The Hotel was one of the last buildings in the city that hadn't crumbled and was still suitable for human inhabitants. As one of the three major groups of survivors, they were also some of the most secure. The other two groups of survivors had taken up residence in the Arena Bloodworks and the Elven Garden Sewers, which was strange, considering that no one ever dared to enter the sewers anymore. Even though that particular group had blocked off all the entrances to their little camp, he'd heard that you could still hear strange noises there at night.

In his opinion, the other two groups were just weird. The Arena folk always had the strangest smell about them, and the people that lived in the sewers were extremely paranoid. Few people ever came into contact with them, and they seemed to prefer it that way. The people in the Hotel had a semi-amicable relationship with those in the Arena, and they used each other for rest stops if someone ever got caught in that area near nightfall. They also came to help each other if they ever came under attack by some of the more adventurous creatures from what had been the Waterfront and Arboretum districts. The occasional group of scavengers off living on their own would sometimes get courageous as well, but they posed much less of a threat.

Julius stopped to stare at his reflection in a ditch filled with water. He was relatively handsome man, in his early twenties with short, black hair and green eyes. He had a tan from working outside for long hours, which also granted him muscles. It was a shame, then, that he was absolutely clueless in a fight. He didn't know how to use any weapons, knew no spells, and could barely throw a punch. This might stem from the fact that, deep down, he's a coward. He would always be the first person to run away from a fight, despite how he talks.

Sven was exactly the opposite. He was one of the older and more respected members of the group, in his late forties. He looked overall very tired and weary, almost frail, but in reality, he was one of the best swordsmen the group had. He took great pride in his silver longsword, since silver was such a rare commodity, and silver swords were even rarer. He had the typical blonde hair and blue eyes of a Nord, but his hair was beginning to turn gray in places. He was slightly smaller than most Nords, barely reaching Julius's height of 5'9".

Marquis looked to be very ragged. His clothes were dirty, his breath smelled of alcohol, and it looked like he had never shaved in his life. His blondish-brown hair fell down behind his shoulders and he had dark bags under his brown eyes. He carried a rusty shortsword with him, but didn't know how to use it. It was mostly just an attempt to look intimidating, something he failed miserably at since he looked as though he was going to throw up half the time he was conscious. Nevertheless, he was another set of hands.

Julius continued staring down at the water, wondering at their good luck lately. Normally, it didn't rain much here, but recently it had been pouring every other day, giving them plenty of water. Not that they really needed it for drinking, but it gave them enough left over for luxuries such as baths. He did wonder about the sudden change in weather though. In the city, if something changed, something bad was on the horizon. The last time it had rained this much, the mist had gained strength and swallowed up the people that had taken refuge in the old lighthouse at the waterfront. He definitely didn't want to be here if something like that was going to happen again.

He led his two grudging followers past the Hotel and across the rubble of what had been another one of the grand building of the Talos Plaza District. In actuality, it was one of the few buildings in the district to have collapsed; the vast majority of the district was still surprisingly intact. It was, by far, the safest district in the Imperial City.

Past the rubble, Julius searched the ground before finding a pile of stones with a bush almost covering it. He moved the rocks away, revealing a hole in the ground into the sewers. Sven's eyes widened at the sight.

"Are you insane! You know entry into the sewers is forbidden by the Elders! Don't you remember what happened to the last person to go down there?"

"Faelin was just a child, he didn't know what he was getting into. There's something down there, something the Elders don't want us to see. I think it's a way out of here. Why else would they forbid it if it wasn't something important? I know it's dangerous, but I have trust in you, Sven. Now come. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as the say."

Julius dropped down into the pitch black of the sewers, and Marquis, still not fully understanding what was going on, dropped down after him. From the sound of the noise he made, he didn't land on his feet, either. Sven cursed and looked around, his first instinct to run to the Elders and tell them what Julius was doing, but voices nearby convinced him otherwise. He didn't want to be seen standing over the sewer entrance, alone. He dropped down the hole and hit the ground, starting a light spell in one hand and drawing his sword in the other. What he saw nearly scared him out of his mind.

**A/N:** _Well, here's the first chapter, I suppose. I'm still not sure if I should bother finishing this, but I guess it couldn't hurt. Thanks for all the reviews guys! I guess my writing really was better when I was younger._


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Two_

Sven stumbled backwards as he came face to face with a skeleton. It wasn't the fact that it was a skeleton that scared him though, it was it's appearance. The skeleton was shattered and looked recently eaten, with pieces of flesh still adhering to the bone in some places, and with the bone completely nonexistent in others. In addition, the skeletal structure was rather small, hinting that the person had been a child. It also didn't help that the corpse was buzzing with flies.

Sven stumbled backwards and tripped, falling off of the small walkway he had been on. He crashed to the ground and got up again, slightly dizzy, only to find himself facing another skeleton, though this one was all bone. Sven then took the time to actually examine the room, and was horrified to discover that the entire area was filled with skeletons, though the one he had first seen was the only one that looked recent. Sven saw Marquis laid out on the floor. It seemed that he had gone down the hole wrong and had missed the walkway competely as there was now a slight trickle of blood on his forehead. Julius was above him on the walkway and looked like he was trying his hardest not to throw up.

"You idiot! Do you see what you've gotten us into? Do you? There's a reason the Elders had this place sealed off, and this is probably why. That corpse there is fresh. It was probably Faelin, and whatever killed him is probably still down here. We're going to die and it's your fault you idiot!"

"Calm... Calm down. We can leave. All we have to do is climb back up and everything will be fine."

Sven turned and looked back towards the hole in the ceiling. It was completely smooth, and while it looked like there had been a ladder there in ages past, it had long since been destroyed. They wouldn't be getting out that way.

"We're sealed in here, stuck with these corpses. There won't be any climbing up."

"Well then, we'll... We'll just have to find another way out. There must be one, I've heard these tunnels stretch below the entire city. That's it! We just have to get to the Elven Gardens. They'll help us."

"Have you forgotten that they sealed themselves off from the rest of the sewers? We won't even be able to get there. The tunnel that leads that way from here is caved in, and the other one leads off in a completely different direction."

"Well then, that just means there's only one way for us to go," Julius said as he jumped down from the walkway. He landed on his feet with a grunt, then walked over to Marquis and began kicking him in the side with his boot.

"Get up you, it wasn't that bad of a fall."

Marquis groaned and made some sort of threat, but unsteadily got to his feet. He wiped the blood of his forehead and looked around. He didn't look like he completely understood what he was seeing, but he obviously knew something was wrong.

"So what do we do now?"

Julius responded with a smirk, though he had a look of uncertainty on his face. "Now we start walking. You in front Sven. You're the only one with a weapon, so you need to be the leader here."

Sven growled at the Imperial and looked dangerously close to hitting him, but walked off towards the tunnel nonetheless. He stopped just before reaching it however, and turned to look at the other passageway. "Do you hear something?"

"No."

"Listen. There's something over there."

Everything went quiet as Sven walked over towards the rubble filled tunnel. As he got closer, he could hear the sound more clearly. It sounding like a very low snarl, and was difficult for the old man to hear, but it was there. He listened for another moment, and then the sound disappeared. Sven turned with a look of concern on his face.

"What was that," Julius asked. Marquis's hearing wasn't good enough for him to have heard it, so he just stood there with a look of confusion in his face.

"I'm not sure. It sounded like an animal, but-"

Sven was cut off a piercing shriek filled the air. The rubble began to move as something pushed it's way through. That was all the motivation Julius needed to take off running, and Marquis wasn't far behind. Sven stayed just long enough to see a pair of glowing, blue eyes before he ran after them. He dashed down the tunnel just as he heard the creature break through the rubble, and it wasn't long before another shriek filled his ears. He could hear the creature scratch it's claws on the stone floor as it chased after him. Were Sven a more courageous man, he might have turned to fight the thing, but the sight of all the corpses had made him loose his nerves. Instead, he threw a weak fireball behind him at the creature. Sven's focus was on weaponry, not magic, and that little fireball was the most he could muster. A scream of pain unlike anything he had ever heard stopped him in his tracks however. He turned and glimpsed the creature running away, howling in pain. While he couldn't see the majority of it's body, he could see that it was vaguely doglike, though it had no fur. What little of it he could make out before it vanished into the darkness, was sickly pale skin. Almost like the skin of a vampire.

Sven took off immediatly after the creature dissapeared, because more shrieking soon echoed through the halls. He ran down the corridor as fast as he could, occasionally looking back, but he never say another one of the creatures. When he eventually reached the next chamber, he found no one. Julius and Marquis were gone. They must have continued running down one of the three other corridors, but there was no telling which. Sven had the only light source as well, his light spell that was still active and slowly draining his magicka. He stood there and listened to the sounds coming from each tunnel. From two there came the sounds of running water. One was like a river, so Sven decided not to go that way. The other was much less noisy, but there was also a strange shuffling noise coming from that direction. The third tunnel had a door that had been torn to shreds, and it was dead silent.

Knowing that the third tunnel led to the Temple District, Sven took it, hoping to the Spirit that he wouldn't see any more of those creatures.

**A/N:**_ Another chapter done, even if it is rather short. And if it isn't obvious already, the sewers are much bigger here than they are in-game._


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Three_

Sven made his way through the tunnels, his sword grasped tightly in his hand. He kept hearing strange sounds that echoed throughout the sewers, but he could never pin-point their origin. He was just satisfied that he wasn't dead yet. He wondered if Julius and Marquis were dead. _It would serve them right for getting me into this mess. What will I tell the elders? If I even make it back..._

Sven continued along, moving relatively slowly to avoid tripping on the piles of rubble that littered the small tunnel. His light spell had gone out long ago, and he was too tired and scared of attracting attention to attempt another. He held his sword directly in front of him, with his other hand on the wall as he walked. He disliked the feel of the stone. It was deathly cold and felt almost slimy. Certainly enough to make him want to wipe whatever he was touching off.

He heard something crack under his boot, and looked down, trying to make out what he had stepped on in the darkness. He sighed after a few moments and decided to just go ahead and use one last light spell, evil monsters be damned. He gathered his limited amount of magicka into his hand and made it coalesce into a bright ball of green light. He ended up staring down at a skeleton in a set of bright green armor. It was chipped and cracked in places, but overall looked intact. Except for the head, which Sven had accidentally stepped on. In one hand, the skeleton held the hilt of a sword, with a green jewel in the pommel. The blade of the expensive looking sword appeared to have been broken off at some point though. The other hand was holding an old book, with a torn and stained cover. Speaking of stains, Sven took this brief moment of light to look at the wall and what he was touching. It was some sort of strange, blue liquid that coated the wall, and it for the most part stuck to it. Sven removed his hand with ease and noted that none of the liquid had attached to his hand. Nor did it appear to be running down the wall, it was simply there. _Strange._

Sven looked back down with a look of curiosity on his face, eyeing the book in the skeleton's hand. He set his sword down on the floor and sat down next to the skeleton, deciding to rest here for a few moments. He examined the book more closely, and saw that it appeared to be a diary of some sort. Even more curious now, Sven decided to pluck it from the skeleton's hand. It was more difficult than he had first thought it would be, though, and Sven ended up pulling the entire hand off with it. He pried the fingers off and watched the hand fall to the ground, then made a short prayer for the Spirit to forgive him for disturbing the dead. He might not be a very religious man, but even he knew that disrespecting the dead in the city could have terrible consequences. The Spirit of White Gold Tower always made sure of it.

He opened the diary and attempted to read the first few pages, but they were soaked through with blood and illegible. He skipped forwards to about mid-way and saw that the handwriting was, with some difficulty, readable. Sven put his mind to work as he attempted to understand the flowery looking handwriting. There wasn't all that much to read in the city, and he had never bothered to practice very much. Besides, paper was an important commodity that couldn't just be wasted on writing.

He moved down the page, piecing together words and sentences, and ignoring the ones he couldn't understand. Which was, admittedly, a lot. However, it didn't take him long to get the general idea of what was going on. This man had been a soldier that had been in the city during the Great Catastrophe. He was a survivor. Sven looked back at the soldier with a renewed sense of wonder, and said another prayer. Disturbing the dead was one thing, but disturbing the body of an ancestor was something else entirely. Doing that meant more than just encouraging the wrath of the Spirit.

He continued reading, forgetting all about where he was. And now there were no more noises to remind him.

* * *

Daniel Forde walked through the ruins of the Temple District, keeping an eye on the scavengers who were out at this time of day, desperately searching for anything valuable that might have been missed by the scavengers that had come before. He kept his head down, well concealed under his gray cloak. It hadn't been gray a decade earlier, but many hours spent in the sun and just age itself destroyed what had been an emerald green.

He wasn't afraid of the scavengers. They all knew who he was, and he was even friendly with a few of them. That wasn't the reason he concealed himself under the heavy cloak. He concealed himself to stay out of the sun. After all, sunlight isn't particularly kind to vampires.

Daniel had been in the city since the very beginning. He had followed the great Prophet until the moment he drew his last breath, and he eternally cursed Ocato for his idiocy. He had sunk into a great depression when the city became sealed off. Despite everyones' fears, he refused to leave. The Imperial City was his home, and he had heard rumors that the Prophet's spirit lingered in the city, and he needed to stay to find out. To this very day he had never encountered the spirit, but he had confidence it was here, somewhere.

He didn't mind his vampirism much anymore. At first, it had been torture, but as the decades passed, he had gotten used to it. He was on good terms with quite a few people in the city, especially the folks in the Talos Plaza District. He knew the city better than any of them could ever hope to, so in return for special favors, he was allowed to stay there whenever he was too far away from home to escape the mist. Though his home had recently been getting much more dangerous. The sewers had become quite inhospitable. Though the portion he and his fellow vampires lived in was safe from the many creatures that now inhabited it's tunnels, the Great Death was getting closer to them. It was only through burning torches everywhere, all the time, that they had staved it off.

He sighed as he sat down on a piece of rubble that had most likely once been the ceiling, and watched as two scavengers came to blows over a few scraps of cloth. He kicked a rock near him, but frowned when it made a very strange noise upon landing. It sounded like it had hit metal. Daniel got up and walked over to it, then kneeled down to look. He discovered, just barely visible, the lock of a chest buried underneath the rubble. His face formed the slightest hint of a grin and he began digging through the debris pile, until he uncovered a very small chest. He didn't even have to bother with breaking the lock off, as it had a hole in the top. He reached inside and pulled out a book, then another. Though the covers were completely faded, a quick check showed that the print inside was still readable. "Interesting. A few new ones to add to my collection."

He tucked the books under his cloak and decided to head off towards the Talos Plaza Distict. There was a change in the winds, and he could sense rain coming. He passed under the shadow of the massive wall that still stood despite all the time that had passed, and went through the broken gate. One half was closed, but the other half of the gate was completely gone. No one was sure what exactly had happened to it, and most didn't particularly care, either. He strolled down the street at a slow pace for a while, eventually coming into sight of the Tiber Septim Hotel and it's inhabitants. There was an old man, Imperial, Daniel would guess, pacing outside the front doors with several concerned looking people surrounding him. Daniel recognized the old man as one of the Hotel's elders.

The old man noticed him staring and called out. "Just the person I was looking for! Mr. Forde, you simply must help us! Several of our people have gone missing, and I fear they ventured into the sewers. You know your way around down there. Can you help us?" the elder asked. He scowled at the mention of his name. Daniel Forde had died the moment he felt those teeth piercing his neck.

"I suppose. What precisely would be my reward? Venturing into the sewers here would be dangerous, even for me."

"Well... I suppose someone around here could spare some blood. I believe it's been two days since you last fed, correct?"

"Correct. I'll accept your offer, just don't be surprised if I come back alone. The sewers are a very dangerous place for the unprepared."


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Four_

_From an entry in Sven's newly found journal:_

I don't know what happened, and that scares me. We'd been in battle for some time, slowly pushing the usurpers back to the shield, when it descended upon us. It was like a shroud, blanketing all my senses. I couldn't see, hear, feel, or smell anything, yet I had the strangest sensation of being in water. It was almost like I was drowning in the darkness. In my mind, I could hear strange noises. I don't know what they were, because they most definitely were not voices, and yet it felt much like I was being commanded. It was a terrible, malevolent feeling of impending death, and even now I can't escape it. After what seemed like an eternity of such torture, I found my senses back and functioning perfectly, but things were not as I had left them. The streets were barren, with only a few individuals standing around dazed and confused as I was. The entire army was completely gone. Not only that, but the corpses that had littered the ground had disappeared, as had the blood which had, until just moments ago, coated the walls and even myself entirely. This I am not completely ungrateful for, as it is not a good feeling, having your skin coated with blood, nor is it enjoyable to walk upon the bodies of fallen brothers in arms. However, the feeling of gratitude was far overpowered by the sense of dread I felt at staring at this new emptiness in the city. As I stood there trying to piece together what exactly had just occurred, someone began screaming. A few of the most foolish people had begun fighting again, in an attempt to kill what few of their enemies remained, despite how pointless it was. I would assume Redguards. They always were too prideful for their own good, even when it makes no sense to be so.

The vast majority of people, however, took this opportunity to flee for their lives, to wherever they might think is safe in this foul place. As for myself, I decided to take cover in a nearby building that had taken the brunt of some powerful spell. The entire wall was collapsed and the inside was burning, but with a fully armored warrior with a rather sharp looking sword headed for me, all I could think about was fleeing. Especially considering what had just occurred. It unnerved me to think that anyone could even think of violence after the experience I had had. Of course, there's no way to tell whether they did indeed have the same experience, but for the moment I shall assume so. In any case, the warrior decided not to follow me into the building, and instead ran off in the general direction of the Arena District, which is, in my opinion, a very suitable place for such a person to live. After the violence in the streets died down, I snuck out in my glass armor and headed into the sewers.

Yes, I'm aware that it seems ridiculous to be sneaking around in glass armor, but the people I was sneaking by weren't exactly at their most alert moment. Most of them seemed... Strange. Perhaps their experience had driven them insane? I couldn't tell, but I could hear them muttering in a foreign language, and I don't even want to attempt to guess what they were saying. I got past them with little trouble and made my way into the sewers through a small manhole I could just barely fit through. But I did fit, and now here I am, wandering aimlessly. I'm hopeful that I'm headed in the direction of the Arcane University, but there's no way for me to tell. Though I did come down here previous to the mist's arrival, that was only to hunt vampires, and it was in a completely different area. Here things are like a maze, with long, twisting tunnels and many entrances and exits. I'm not sure where I'm headed, but as long as it's away from those people and the vile mist, I don't care.

It's quite lucky that I decided to pack a quill and some ink with this diary, otherwise I would be extremely bored right now. I've found that writing is a wonderful way to pass the time and get your mind off your surroundings, even if you happen to be describing your surroundings. Not that there's much to describe about where I am right now. I appear to be in some large chamber, because there's a domed ceiling quite a ways above me, and it makes me wonder where I am and exactly how deep I've gone. I think I've been going down, and that's most certainly not what I had planned. I've heard of terrible monsters that inhabit the deepest parts of the sewers, and I'm sure the mist hasn't helped their disposition any. Or maybe it made them disappear, much like it made all of us disappear? That is a most comforting, and yet horrifying thought. It's comforting because I won't have to worry about being attacked in this place, where even with a torch it is dreadfully hard to see, but it is horrifying because, if the mist can reach here, then that means that there is most likely no place safe from it.

It scares me to think what might happen when the mist finally decides to take me. What will happen to me I wonder? Nothing good, of that I am certain. I don't think it will kill me. No, I think it may be something much worse. Dying is not something I'm afraid of. Everything dies at some point or another, unless you're a God, but they don't count towards this discussion. No, I'm afraid of not existing, and I fear that if this mist takes me, that I won't make it to Aetherius.

Now though, it is time for me to move on. I fear to stay in one place for too long, in case the mist actually hasn't taken the creatures here, and the last thing I want is for a vampire or whatever else might inhabit this place to sneak up on me while I'm writing. There probably isn't even much point to writing this, since I'm sure no one will ever read it, yet I feel the need to do so anyway, even if it is only to get a moments rest and a reprieve from the endless darkness.


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Five_

_At this point in the journal, several pages had been ripped out, so it was necessary for Sven to skip several days worth of writings. The following is again from the journal of Sven's now headless skeleton friend._

I can hear it out there, following me, though I can't ever seem to find it. Though do I really want to? I can't be sure what it is following me, and I am sure that it's following me, but I have the distinct feeling that it's playing with me. I can almost hear the thing laughing at me. For all I know, the strange howling noises it makes is it's version of laughter. Whatever the case, I've been unable to sleep and have been forced to keep my torch lit at all times. It's the only thing that keeps back the mist, and I don't want another encounter with it.

Yesterday, I stumbled over a loose rock and dropped my torch. As soon as it hit the ground it went out, and as soon as it went out, the mist pounced on me, drowning me in darkness once again. The terrible feeling I had experienced before returned, and once again I could hear the commands in my head. They were louder this time though, and afterwards my head was throbbing for hours. I don't know why it won't just take me like it did all the others. I would suppose that I have some sort of immunity, but I don't want to test it a third time. It's quickly becoming-

_The text cuts off here, only to start again a few lines down, the handwriting looking not quite as eloquent._

Oh dear, oh dear. I don't know what to do. The howling has begun again, but this time I hear more than one creature. I fear the things may travel in packs, much like wolves. I don't even know what these things look like. For all I know they may be as dangerous as mudcrabs! It's a comforting thought, but not a very likely one. The tunnels have become slanted here, heading steeply downwards, which is not at all to my liking, but it's strictly one way at this point, for I don't want to think about what might be waiting for me should I decide to turn around. The farther I go, the worse my nerves become. I'm jumping at even the slightest sound now, and I'm afraid I've swung my sword at shadows too often for my liking. The constant darkness, and now, the intense feelings of hunger and thirst are clouding my common sense and better judgement.

I know that the farther down I go, the less likely I am to come back up, but fear is a very powerful emotion, and however much I might like to think about it, I wouldn't dare try to fight whatever is hunting me, if this could even be called a hunt. I'm frankly amazed that I even have enough wit about me to continue writing, but I honestly have nothing else to take my mind off of my impending doom, as it were.

I dearly miss the vampires that had inhabited these tunnels. They are a familiar foe, and far more direct than all this, even if they may end up being a bit more cruel. I suspect that whatever these things might be, they are still animals, and that once they decide to kill me, I will be quite dead. Vampires though... They like to torture their prey. Mercilessly, until they beg for death. Of course, it's the ones that beg for it that never receive it. The ones brave enough to withstand their torture they kill and suck dry, but the ones that simply want to die, they turn. Or so I've heard. Personally, I've never had all too many problems vampire hunting, as I'm not one of the stupid soldiers that thinks they can take on the world alone. No, I always hunted them with a good friend or a trusted soldier at my side. It might also help that I was never forced to hunt the higher ups in the vampire clans. I've heard tales of them though, how they can demolish an entire Legions worth of soldiers like a whirlwind, leaving everyone wondering what had hit them. At this moment, I would even prefer to be up against one of those. At least then I would know my death would be swift, as I've heard that vampire elders do not take prisoners in battle.

But I'm not fighting vampires, I have no one to help me, and I don't know what to expect. All I know is that somewhere in this darkness, there are beings watching my every move, waiting to kill me at the best opportunity, and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that when these monsters decide to do so, that there will be nothing I can do to stop them. That is what scares me the most. Not that I will die, but that I am powerless to do anything about it. Very much like the mist. If it comes down to it though, I would rather have these fiends kill me, before being swallowed by that evil thing again. One more time with the mist and I fear I shall lose my sanity, which I am now clinging to for dear life. A man with less willpower than me would have succumbed to madness already and throw himself on his own sword. But I still have my honor, as useless as it is right now. It's the only thing I have. I imagine the Redguards would be proud.

I think I'm running out of ink...


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Six_

_After this page, the writing gets messy, and lasts for only a few paragraphs. The style is panicked, and the ink isn't completely readable, perhaps signifying that the man had reached his last drops. The bottom of the page is coated in blood, and the next page won't separate._

The pain, the pain, the pain. It hurts... They came for me, those things. The claws and the teeth and the damned eyes... Like dogs they were, rabid and feral, evil and twisted. I killed them though. Oh, they thought I was just a play thing, but I showed them. I showed them! Decapitated the first and set the second on fire. They burn so easily and give off a rotten stench, but it attracts more. One of them knocked the torch out of my hand, and then the pain came. They bit into me and injected something... I think it's poison, because even now my body's burning. I stabbed out wildly at the thing, but it pulled back and broke my sword. Damn things. I payed a lot of money for this. Heh, what use is money here though?

A few moments afterwards, the mist came down on me again, on those things too. They ran, I could hear them, yelping in fear, but I don't think they got away. I did though. It swallowed me up in the darkness again, and I could hear the commands for what they were this time. He's asking me to come to him. He wants me, for some cruel experiment. But I must go, because if I don't the pain will return.

I don't know how I'm writing this right now. It's pitch black and my arm's a mess, so I imagine the handwriting is terrible, but who honestly cares? No one will ever read this. I'll be forgotten eventually. Oh Gods, what will happen to Jeane? She's waiting for my return in Skingrad, but I'll never come back. I'm too tired. Much too tired. I went up, up, up, for a very long time, now I'm in a straight, narrow passage to Akatosh knows where. I'm just going to sit down and stay here now, commands and pain be damned. I just want it to end.

I'll bleed out soon, but not before the vampire that's taken to tracking the smell of my blood gets me. He's coming up behind me now, in fact, and I only hope he's quick about it. How ironic that after surviving all this, I'm going to be killed by a vampire. This city has a foul sense of humor...

I'm at the bottom of the inkwell now, and I get the feeling I'm about to die. I'm sorry, Jeane.

_This is all that can be made out. Past this point there is only blood and empty pages.

* * *

_

Sven closed the book and quickly got to his feet, desperately trying to keep his spell going. He didn't even want to think about what he had just read. From the sound of it, he had run into the same creatures Sven had earlier. And they tracked him. Sven grabbed his sword and watched the shadows, listening desperately for the sounds typically made by the creatures. But there wasn't any. Instead there was a strange echo going down the tunnel, sounding almost like footsteps, though they were quiet. No human could walk that quietly.

He cursed Julius for getting him into this mess, and wondered how he could have let himself be led here in the first place. Now something was coming for him, and he was under the assumption that it wasn't friendly. The only other people down here would be Julius and Marquis, and he'd be willing to bet that both of them were dead. He now deeply regretted taking this tunnel, but there was now nothing he could do. He could only hope that, by some miracle, he could fight off whatever was chasing him, then he would run back and take one of the other tunnels. But that wasn't completly plausible either. The other tunnels led away from where he wanted to go, or at least he thought they did. There was no way of telling anymore.

He would have just taken off at a run regardless, but the passage in front of him led towards the creatures that the man in the journal had encountered. He couldn't go that way, but he couldn't head back either. He was stuck, and whether it was one of those creatures or a vampire, Sven knew it could probably see in the dark. He put his back to a wall and held his sword in front of him, terror beginning to feel his mind. All of a sudden, a figure appeared directly in front of him. Sven swung at it, but it disappeared from sight. An after image, he realized too late. The sword was kicked out of his shaking hands, and he then doubled over as he was punched in the stomach. He coughed up blood, and then he felt the teeth pierce his neck. He tried to struggle valiantly for a moment, and then he blacked out, being subjected to the same fate as the man in the diary.

_**A/N:** Yes, it's all quite short, I know, but I've been having problems recently, so this is all I could write. Sorry. Hopefully I'll be able to make them longer from here on out._


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer****:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadow****s**

_Chapter Seven_

When Sven finally came to, he found himself tied up and face down on the cold, hard floor of the sewers. He immediately tried to get up, to no avail. Someone had been very meticulous with his bonds. He did manage to move his head however, and directly to his left was Julius, who was tied up much the same as he was, only Julius was unconscious still. Marquis was nowhere to be seen. He struggled with the ropes that held his hands and legs together, and briefly wondered where the person that had tied him up had found this much rope. Then he remembered. He was dealing with a vampire, and that made him struggle all the more.

"Awake now, are we?" questioned a voice that sounded very far off, as if the speaker was only barely paying attention.

"What do you want with me, vampire?"

"Some people call me Sedkuman. I think that's Yoku for immortal, but I'm not sure. Most people simply call me Sed, if they ever feel the need to speak to me. My true name, as it were, is of no importance. What is of importance is that you and your fool friends thought it would be a nice idea to take a stroll down the sewers. The elders were quite worried, and I've already spent a great deal of time, and gone to a lot of trouble to secure the two of you. I couldn't find the third, but I know where he went, and it wouldn't be pleasant to go that way while dragging two unconscious imbeciles behind me."

"Then why did you knock me out, and what did you do to him?"

"Oh, I did the same thing to him that I did to you, minus the blood-sucking part, of course. I don't want to touch that blood, I might get a disease. And I knocked you out because it was less of a hassle than trying to calm you down. Besides, I didn't particularly feel like stopping to have a chat when surrounded by the beasts."

"I thought vampires couldn't get diseases... And damn it, why did you take my blood? Isn't that against the rules or something?"

"Rules? Heh, no, the elders promised I could have my fair share of blood as a reward for this mission, but they didn't say when. I get the feeling that if I don't return all of you alive and well, that they'll be very unpleasant about that part of the deal. So I took the initiative."

"Damn vampires... How do you propose we get out of here then? We can't go back the way we came."

"That's quite easy. We'll make out way to the Temple District, use it's still intact ladder to get to the surface, then make our way back from there. It's the only way still working, you know. Or at least the only way that works that's accesible from this side of the barricades."

"But I was headed towards the Temple District!"

"No, you sir, were headed down. If you had kept to that path, you would have eventually gone into the Old Way, and then, friend, you would be most dead. That place is very unpleasant right now."

"Then how do we get there? The other two tunnels headed off in the opposite direction."

"That's the naivety if someone who's never been down here before. The tunnels are constantly twisting and turning endlessly. It starts out headed in one direction, then will double back or head left or right to Gods know where. I've had some practice with these things though, so trust me when I say I know what I'm doing."

"It sounds like we'll have to get Marquis first, though. Otherwise the elders would be very displeased with you."

"Personally, I'd just leave him to rot, especially since he's headed straight for the lair of some very nasty undead. But at the same time it would be very unpleasant trying to explain why I let him die, so I suppose I'll have to bear the unpleasantness of the rotting corpses for a while. Vampires have a very sensitive sense of smell you know, and these sewers truly aren't the greatest place for me to travel."

"I'm sure... You say unpleasant a lot, you know that?"

"What?"

"Nothing. Can you untie me now?"

"Very well."

Sed the vampire, also known as William Forde, got up from his lounging position in a wooden chair by the wall, and undid the ropes holding him, then moved to Julius, but Sven interrupted.

"Not yet. I want to hear his reaction. And why did you tie us up in the first place?"

"It wouldn't do to have you wake up and try to plunge that sword into me, would it? Silver, you know. Very unpleasant."

"Of course," Sven said, noting for the first time that the vampire, while sounding relaxed and casual, had no emotion on his face. It was actually kind of creepy.

Sven got up and dusted himself off, then kicked Julius in the stomach, forcing a small groan of pain from the passed out Imperial. He looked across the cavern and noticed that this one was the same one they had entered the sewers from, though they were in a section with minimal skeletons. That didn't particularly help his view on things though. "Why are we back here? Wouldn't it have been easier to stay in the chamber with all the corridors? And where did you get that chair?"

"To the first two, because it's easier here. The beasts don't usually get this close to openings, they're how the mist gets in. We'll be safe."

"But there was one of those creatures here!"

"Attracted by the noise no doubt. I, however, am much quieter, and so long as you keep your voice down, you'll be fine. And as to the chair... Well does that really matter?"

Sven immediately lowered the tone of his voice, looking nervously towards the tunnel he had seen the beast come from earlier. Then he looked down at Julius, who had begun to groan and regain consciousness. Something occurred to him, and he drew his sword and cut the ropes just as he opened his eyes.

"Hey, rope is hard to come by! That was completely unnecessary. And I thought you wanted to see his reaction?"

"I did, until I realized his first reaction would be to scream like a little girl."

Julius clumsily rose to his feet, then leaned against a wall and pointed a finger at Sed. "You! You... You... Criminal! Attacking people without even a word of warning. Why, when I-"

"Shut up, Julius, I'm not in the mood for your nonsense. In fact, if not for my better judgement, I would kill you right now," Sven said, putting the tip of his blade right beneath Julius's chin.

"Ah... Yes, right. My apologies."

"Good. Now that that's settled, we have places to be before nightfall. Or would you two rather stay here and argue until the mist comes? Because I certainly don't," Sed said, picking up the chair and slinging it over his back. "I like this chair. They're hard to come by," he said upon noticing them staring. Without saying anything further, he calmly walked down the corridor as they stared after him. It took them a few moments to register that he was gone, and then they took off after him. Considering he appeared to be walking at a normal pace, the vampire had gone a considerable distance...


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Eight_

Sed walked down the dark and dreary tunnels at a brisk pace, whistling a merry tune to himself. To the two mortals behind him, it looked as if he was just walking regularly, yet he was moving much quicker than he should have been. They struggled to keep up with him in the pitch black tunnels. It was hard enough navigating them already, but trying to follow a fast moving vampire in them was near impossible. Sven could vaguely hear him say something from up ahead of them.

"Come now, quickly, quickly. Time's wasting and we have places to be, but inside the mist is not one of them, so pick up the pace."

Sven felt like shouting something at his new found savior and guide, but he couldn't find the breath to do so. He was old and didn't have the energy he once had. As for Julius, he had never had much energy to begin with. A lazy bum that manages to talk his way out of work. When push comes to shove, he always does what he's told, but grudgingly. At least Marquis usually had a reason for his laziness, but Julius simply hated work.

Behind him, he heard Julius shout something at him in a wheezy voice. "I need a rest you freak! We're not all immortals who never seem to run out of breath here!"

In front of him, he saw the outline of Sed stop moving, and saw him slowly turn around. He walked purposefully towards them, and when he got close enough for Sven to look him in the eye, he jumped out of the way. His eyes were murderous. If looks could kill, Julius would be a smear on the wall.

He backed up slowly, finally realizing the imminent danger, and put his hands up in front of him. "Hold on now, there's no need for you to look at me like-"

In a movement so quick Sven didn't even have time to blink, Julius was pinned up against the wall with Sed's hand gripped tight around his throat. He spluttered for air as Sed leaned closer towards him. "What did you call me?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Julius managed to get out.

Sed's eyes narrowed, but he let Julius drop to the floor. He fell to his knees, holding his neck in his hands as he struggled to regain his breath. Sven looked at Sed, then to Julius, then back to Sed, who was now leaning against a wall whistling his merry tune again. Upon realizing he was being stared at, Sed immediately explained. "I don't appreciate being called a name. It's very ungentlemanlike."

"Is that even a word?"

"Of course it is, you're just not old enough to have heard it, that's all."

Sven stared down at the still kneeling form of Julius, then back to the happily whistling form of Sed, and couldn't help but wonder.

"You're not very much like a vampire, are you?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, the image of a vampire that was always in my head was someone dressed all in black, that's always mopey and depressed, perhaps slightly insane, full of old wisdom yet still foolish in social interaction, and someone that likes to whine and complain about life. Or lack thereof."

"Well to be fair, I am dressed in black."

"You are?"

"Oh yes, you simply can't tell in this light."

"What about the rest?"

"Well, that can be explained by the fact that I'm a reformed vampire. I barely even need any blood anymore."

"Barely? What do you do instead?"

"Drink coffee."

"Coffee?"

"Oh yes, coffee is pleasantly addicting. More addicting than blood you see, so the need my body feels for coffee overrules the need my body feels for blood. Very convenient, actually."

"Where do you get coffee in a place like this?"

"Guild secret."

"Guild?"

"Oh yes, the Temperance Guild. Lovely people. A bit too obsessed with pink socks, but other than that..."

"Pink socks?"

"Oh yes. Incidentally, don't tell them about that bite I gave you. They might revoke my starter kit."

"Starter kit?"

"Anyway, time to be going. You've both had your rest."

And so the vampire set off again, but at a somewhat slower pace. Enough so to allow Sven to catch up to him. "There wasn't a grain of truth to what you just said to me, was there?"

"Oh, not in the least."

This response left Sven momentarily baffled, so much so that he entirely forgot the question he had been going to ask. He just walked along, listening to the vampire's pleasant whistling and Julius gripe and complain, and couldn't help but wonder why the creatures weren't attacking them. When he asked Jed this, he just turned his head and gave him a grin and said, "There's a sense of kinsmenship there, I think."

"How could monsters have any sort of kinsmenship with us?"

"Not you, me. I think they're vampiric in nature, and they can sense that I am too, which confuses them because that means that I'm not food, yet I'm traveling with food without eating it. It's all very confusing for their little brains, so they're following us, trying to figure it out. Which is another reason why we need to hurry, because when they do, things will become most unpleasant. They won't go into the sections filled with the zombies though. They hate them with a passion. I think it's because they taste vaguely of rat topped with one-hundred year old cheese. Not very pleasant at all."

"You would know, of course."

"A person experiences many unpleasant things in two-hundred years."

**A/C:** _Kudos if you got the reference I was making with the dialogue between Sven and __Sed__ this chapter. It's referencing the __Uberwald__ League of Temperance for reformed vampires from Terry Pratchett's __Discworld__ series. Wonderful series of books. We'll be getting to some real action and/or important pieces of the plot next chapter._


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer****:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Nine_

"What is that smell?"

Sed turned to see Julius covering his nose with both hands, trying to keep out the stink. He narrowed his eyes again. "That would be the smell of hundreds of rotting corpses. I told you it would be unpleasant. And if you think you have it bad, imagine being in my shoes. Enhanced sense of smell, remember?"

Sven peered down the tunnel, and noted that at some point ahead it opened up into a large chamber. There was a small amount of light there, but he couldn't see anything. He could hear things though. He heard shuffling. Lots of shuffling. He nervously drew his sword and formed a light spell in his hand. He allowed the bright ball of green light to coalesce in his hand, then he shot it forwards down the corridor until it collided with the floor. It lit the dark room up as bright as the stars, and revealed dozens, if not hundreds of zombies and undead. Most had pieces of flesh and organs still attached and in various states of decomposition, but a few were simply walking skeletons.

Sed reached out and grasped his hand and forced it closed, and then the light died. "Don't do that! They're not very aware and if we're very careful we can make our way past them," he said in a harsh whisper.

Julius fidgeted nervously and Sven just stared as Sed made his way forwards. He motioned for them to follow, and they did so, albeit nervously. Sven had never dealt with the undead before. Sure, there was the job of purification when someone died, but that was just old superstition. He wasn't sure where the undead came from precisely, but he imagined that they weren't a blight on good, normal people by some evil gods. It was probably just an effect of the shield that kept them in. Or perhaps it was caused by the mist? Either way, he didn't think it was supernatural. But then, wasn't everything in the city supernatural in a way? He didn't know, and frankly, thinking about it made his head hurt.

"So how exactly are we going to get past them then? We aren't vampires you know, we can't walk without making noise," Julius said, looking behind him down the tunnel as if he would tell him to just go back the way he came.

"Easy. You don't get past, I do. Then, well, then I make a tactical assessment."

"Tactical assessment? So basically, you're going to go off, leave us here, sneak past them, then do your best to pull a plan out of nowhere, but in all likelihood get us killed?"

"Precisely. I'm glad you understand."

"Damn vampire."

"First though... Hold this."

There was a crash, and then Sven turned around to see Julius on the floor, underneath the chair that Sed had been carrying.

"Can't sneak while carrying furniture, you understand. Buh bye now."

Sed then disappeared in an after image, and Sven was left alone with a squirming Julius, who was doing his best to get out from under the chair. It seemed much heavier than it appeared. Sven grasped the top and attempted to pull upwards, but to no avail. He realized a moment later that the vampire had cast a burden spell on it, so instead decided to watch the zombies.

It was several minutes before anything happened. Then, there was a deafening roar. Sven was forced to cover his ears in pain, but kept watching. The shuffling stopped, and the zombies all turned to watch the corridor across from his. The tunnel exploded a moment later, sending stones flying through the air into the hordes of the undead. There were sounds of combat, and bodies flying though the air, and then Sed reappeared in front of them.

"What's going on?"

"I attracted one of the monsters from the Arboretum."

"You did what?"

"It was quite tricky, but I managed to find one wandering about the sewers, most likely it fell through a hole in the ground, and brought it here to bring about untold destruction on the undead."

"Clever. Now how do we get past _it_?"

"Yes, well... I haven't gotten that far. But with it occupied with them, I'm sure we can get past it easily."

"Right. What about him?" Sven asked, pointing to Julius who was still struggling underneath the chair.

"Oh right. Forgot about that. Didn't want him running off you see. It would be very unpleasant tracking him down."

Sed placed a hand on top of the chair, and all of a sudden the burden was lifted. He picked it up and propped it over his shoulder, then ran off out of the tunnel and along the right wall. Sven helped Julius up, then took off after him, ignoring the wheezing of a furious Julius. He didn't bother looking towards the center of the room, but he could hear the roaring beast, and he could hear bones shattering and flesh being torn. And he could feel the body of a zombie hit him in the side and send him tumbling. Or rather, half of the zombie. Specifically the top half, though it was missing it's head and most of it's right arm.

He saw Julius run past him as he got up and stumbed for a moment, trying to regain his balance, then heard something and turned around, coming face to face with the Arboretum beast. It was at least twice the width of a human, though it wasn't much taller. That lack of height was, however, made up for by an obscenely long mouth full of pointed teeth. It had red fur, though that was mostly because of blood, judging from the dripping noises, and no apparent eyes. It did, however, have a rather disturbing looking hole in it's vaguely apelike face, which Sven could only assume was it's nose. Or what was it's version of a nose. A smelling organ, for lack of a better term. It stood in front of him, seemingly looking straight past him, saliva dripping from it's open mouth. Despite the fact that they were the same height, the creature seemed to tower over him. He just stared at it for another moment, until it roared, coating him with spit and blood and many other substances Sven didn't want to recognize, then it lunged.

Time seemed frozen to him in that instant, as the air blurred and a semi-familiar form jumped in front of him, chair swinging downwards. It slammed the creature down into the stone floor, shattering in the process. The stone gave way underneath it, and it fell for a very long time before a splash of water could be heard. _How deep are these sewers?_

He felt someone shaking him, and turned around to face a concerned looking Sed, who was now staring dejectedly at the remnants of his chair. "And it was oak too..."

"How did you..."

"Burden spell, combined with the strength of a vampire. I had a shield spell on it too, to keep it from breaking, but it seems like it didn't work. Do you know how hard oak chairs are to find?"

"Uhh... I'll assume very hard. Listen, thanks for-"

"Not just very hard! They don't even grow in the city! It's damn near impossible!"

"Right, I'm sorry, can we just move on please?"

"Yes, yes of course. Sorry. I can get touchy about my furniture."

In the back if his head, Sven couldn't help but wonder. _Why would someone be touchy about furniture in a place like this?_

Regardless, he headed off towards the tunnel in the right wall, and Sven followed him, noting that there were still some moaning and shuffling sounds in the background.

* * *

"So, where exactly is Marquis?"

"He's in the hands of a friend. See, he was in the middle of that very unpleasant situation back there, but we found him earlier and brought him to relative safety while I was tasked with finding and securing you."

"He's safe? Then why did we just go through that?"

"Because we had to anyway, and I figured that if you thought a friend was in trouble, it might make you less belligerent."

"Friend? We'd probably both just rather let him die."

"That's not very friendly of you."

"Yes, that's the point."

Sven decided to cut Julius off here, to ask his own question, one that seemed very obvious to him. "How exactly did he get in the middle of that?"

"With all the zombies? Oh, I have no idea. Strangely though, they weren't attacking him. He was just there and nothing happened. That's probably a bad sign, for several reasons."

They walked on in silence after that, though Julius kept mumbling to himself about unnecessary danger. _Ironic, considering he was the one that got us all into this. _

After a while, they saw what seemed to be light. Light from a fire. Sed began whistling merrily again, and headed in it's direction, while Sven and Julius followed a good distance behind him, more than a little wary. They came into the lit chamber and saw Marquis sprawled out on the floor, happily clutching a bottle of ale in his sleep. Julius walked over and kicked him again, but got no response this time.

"The man was a pain. He wouldn't shut up, so I decided some alcohol would do the trick for me."

Sven turned around and saw a man in a gray cloak leaning up against a wall. He had most definitely not been there a moment earlier. _Vampires. They always have to try and look cool._

"And you would be?"

"Er..."

Sed interrupted and asked a question, at the same time answering Sven's. "What do we do now, Daniel? It's getting dark up there. There's no way we'll make it in time to beat the mist. We won't even make it out of the district."

Daniel gave the worried sounding vampire an annoyed look.

"What? What else am I supposed to call you? It's not my fault the mortals never gave you a name. You're not social enough you know that? Such a stereotype..."

Sven noticed Daniel's eye twitch, and so decided to move away from the vampire and look up the hole towards the surface. There was an intact, if rusted ladder there, and it did seem to be dark out. The mist wasn't out yet though, so that must mean sunset.

Daniel stepped forwards, stepping over the unconscious body of Marquis to stand beside Sven, staring up at the sky. "Well then, we'll simply have to spend the night here."

At this point, Julius finally exploded. "What! Stay the night here? With the mist and the monsters and who knows what else? Not to mention you vampires. Not a chance. I'll take my chances up there, thank you very much."

As he moved forwards towards the ladder, Daniel after imaged in front of him. "No you won't thank you very much. I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for the elders in Talos Plaza. I promised I'd get you all alive, and so I shall. If that means putting you into a coma until we get back, so be it. If you don't want that to happen, I suggest you take a seat."

Julius growled, but moved over and sat next to the torch, which was inside a small hole in the wall. Sven did the same, but on the other side of the room, while the two vampires talked amongst themselves. He pulled out the diary he had been reading before, and leafed through some of the earlier entries, trying to make out the handwriting. He had stored it in his back pocket when Sed had come across him, as he hadn't wanted to lose it. The elders would no doubt consider it valuable. He did wonder though.

"How long have you two been around?"

The two vampires turned from their conversation to look at him, and Sven suddenly felt very foolish. After almost a minute of such feelings, Sed shrugged and said, "About two-hundred and fifty years or so. Daniel's been around since before the mist though. He's ancient."

"I'm only a few decades older than you."

"Yes, and that makes you ancient."

"Okay, I get it. Would either of you happen to know what the references in this journal are about?"

Daniel walked over to him and took it out of his hands, then began to flip through the pages, his eyes moving faster than Sven thought possible. Before even a minute had elapsed, he closed the book and tossed it back to him.

"Yes, I remember that man. He was a very... Interesting one. Killed three of the beasts, I think, before the mist got him. Nasty business, that."

"You knew him?"

"I was the vampire he was writing about. That was right around when I was turned, and since there was no one around I could hunt... Well, to be fair, I wasn't exactly looking either. The idea repulsed me. What I didn't know was that the longer you go without blood, the more feral you become. So I ended up wandering the sewers, unable to control my actions. I chanced upon this man, wounded and dying, and decided to take what little blood was left in him. It wasn't much, but it was enough to sate my bloodlust. Now, as to the rest. This part is obviously referencing the Great Catastrophe, when the mist descended upon the two greatest armies of the era as they fought in the city. Afterwards, he spoke of men that were talking in a strange language. Redguards, most likely. The ones that set up shop in the Arena District. Though this part here, that references commands and a he... I'm not sure. The part with the cruel experiments, well... If anyone was doing experiments in this city, it would be in the Arcane University. Things got frenzied there after the mist came. A lot of rules were broken, and they sealed themselves off. Not at first, of course. When their attempt at destroying the mist went awry, they tried damage control. They let everyone who wanted in inside the university, safely away from the dangers of the mist. But, after a few years, they closed the gates. Things were especially tense when some of the soldiers from the Great Catastrophe wanted entrance. The Arch-Mage denied them, and shot fire at them until they left. But things were never quite the same afterwards. Eventually, they just sealed themselves off, without a word to anyone. I'm not sure what happened afterwards. People have said that they've heard strange noises coming from beyond the gates, but I go by that way every now and then and have heard nothing. Just dead silence. Though I'm not sure if that's much better."

"You have no idea who the he might be?"

"None. But if the commands came after he was surrounded by the mist... That's important. Hold on to the journal for later. Right now we're here to rescue you, not to try and solve centuries old mysteries. Save that for later, after we're out of these sewers."


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **_I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Ten_

Julius leaned his head against the wall as Sven snoozed in a corner. Marquis was still passed out on the floor, and the two vampires had left them there to go find something in the tunnels. _How encouraging. They left us to die. I hate vampires! _

He took a small, gold coin from his pocket and looked over towards the ladder, then flipped it and caught it when it landed on the back of his hand. He lifted his hand up and frowned. Tails. He mumbled a curse under his breath, and flipped it again. He looked back at the coin and just rolled his eyes this time. Tails again. _Third time's the charm. _

The coin never came back down. Julius looked up to see Daniel standing above him, holding the coin between two fingers. He let it drop a moment later, and it fell to the ground with a ringing sound as it hit the stone. It fell on it's side. Tails up. "Damn it!"

"Planning on going somewhere were you?"

"I had been, but luck isn't with me today."

"If these are the sort of situations you normally get into, luck isn't with you any day."

Julius just scoffed and stared at the ladder leading up to the surface. The mist had come already, but the torch light was keeping it at bay, at least for the moment. You could see it though, if you moved directly under the ladder. It was collecting there, just waiting for an entrance. It had even managed to get into the corner opposite of him, where there wasn't enough light to free it from darkness.

There had been a lot of howling earlier, almost the same as what he had heard before, but it had gone silent now. There was no noise aside from their voices. He wondered briefly where Sed had gone, but quickly put it out of his mind. It was a general rule to stay out of a vampire's business. If you did interfere, things usually ended in a very painful manner for you.

"I didn't plan for this to happen, you know."

"Really? Because from what the elder has told me, you seem to do these things quite a bit. Only before, you've never been so idiotic as to try and enter the sewers. I've heard you tried to get into the Arcane University, go through the main gate, and even swim to the far shore. Why?"

"Because I'm sick of this damned place! The constant fear the mist inspires, the creatures that roam around making it impossible to ever be sure of your safety, and that glow... That terrible red glow the shield produces over everything. It's like a shroud of darkness, forever sucking up all the happiness anyone could possibly feel. I can't take this place anymore, and if there's even the slightest chance of escaping, I will take it."

"You're an idiot."

"What?"

"An idiot. That's what you are. You should be glad you're even alive and make the best of the circumstances, not moping around complaining and doing nothing. Because that's all I've seen you do. I've lived in this city since before the Great Catastrophe, and let me tell you, there is no way out. No matter how far down or how high you go, the shield will stop you. There's no hole, no entrance and exit. It's simply there, and you learn to deal with it. So get over yourself and try doing something useful when we get to the surface instead of worrying the people who care about you."

"Excuse me? Who are you to judge me? You don't know any-"

"I'm centuries older than you. I have more than enough right to judge you. Now shut up and get some sleep. You'll need it come morning."

* * *

Sven woke to find Sed staring at him. What's more, he was staring at him from a chair. Though he was no expert, he would guess that it was mahogany. So naturally, having just woken up, the first question of many to come to his mind was, "Where did you get that?"

"In the middle of the sewers," was the only reply he got.

As he struggled to get up, he decided to press the subject. "How, then?"

"That's the mystery. I was out searching for... Er... Yes, I was out searching, when I came across a small chamber with a chair and a table and a few skeletons. Very permanently dead skeletons. The chair and table were, however, in near perfect condition. In fact, they appear to have some sort of spell on them that prevents damage and rot. Very nice."

"And they were just sitting there? With nothing around?"

"Yep. I did find a few scraps of red cloth on the skeletons, but the only other passage there had caved in, so there was no use in attempting to go further. I have no idea why they were there, as I imagine no one wanted to come down here even before the mist. Perhaps a cult or something lived there? Whatever the case, I've found a very good replacement."

Sven dusted himself off and reattached his sword to his belt, then stated a rather obvious flaw in his plan. "So how do you plan on getting it out?"

Sed looked puzzled for a moment, then a dawn of realization came over him. Then his expression turned from one of disappointment to one of thought, then to one of happiness, all in the span of five seconds. "No worries. I can simply throw it up the tunnel, and one of you will catch it."

"Up that narrow thing? Won't it hit one of the walls on the way up? Well, you're a vampire, can't you simply turn into a bat a fly up with it?"

"What a ludicrous idea. Vampires can't turn into bats, that's just an old tale meant to scare children. Besides, a bat would be too small to carry it. Now maybe ten bats..."

"Right, I'll just leave you to your thoughts then."

Sven walked past Sed and towards Julius, who was already standing below the ladder, itching to leave the tunnel. Apparently, they were waiting on word from Daniel to do so. He walked up next to him and looked up the tunnel and into the sunlight. It hurt his eyes to see it, but it was still a welcome sight. And now that he saw the light of the sun, he was reminded of several other things. Namely, hunger.

"How long do you think it will take him to get back?"

"Who knows? He's a vampire, he gets to decide when and what he does. I say forget him and let's go anyway, but his friend over there wouldn't appreciate that, I bet."

"Well, it's not so much a matter of me not appreciating it, as it is Daniel not appreciating it and then getting angry. And an angry centuries old vampire is not a pretty sight. Those are the moments that make me wish those stories about bats are true."

Julius turned and gave him a questioning look, to which he simply tapped his ear and said, "Vampire, remember? Enhanced sense of hearing."

Sven heard Julius mutter a few curses under his breath, and out of the corner of his eye saw Sed rolling his eyes as he turned around. Sven turned to look at Marquis, who was sitting in a corner, looking dejectedly at his empty bottle. He couldn't help but wonder what exactly the elders would do to them when they returned. Surely they wouldn't just let them off the hook?

He looked up out of his thoughts when Daniel dropped through the tunnel. He landed cleanly on his feet, despite the fact that the drop probably would have killed a normal man. He walked over to Sed and said a few words to him, then nodded towards the ladder. Daniel walked back to it and half jumped, half climbed his way up. It was rather interesting to watch.

"Vampires always have to show off," he heard Julius mutter beside him.

Sed followed him, using one hand holding the chair and the other to hold the rungs as he made his way upwards. Sven couldn't help but wonder how he was doing it. It didn't seem possible. He shrugged and grabbed the first rung, then made his way upwards after him. It wasn't as if it really mattered. You were supposed to expect the impossible out of creatures like vampires. The only thing you would expect more out of was a werewolf, and it wasn't like there were any of those in the city. He hoped.

He climbed for the better part of a minute before he reached the surface. He had to block the light of the sun with his hand, to keep from being blinded. He looked around him and saw, not for the first time, the ruins of the Temple District. Over the years it had been completely leveled. Partially by the weather, partially by age, but mostly by scavengers trying to find items they could use to survive. The Elven Gardens District was in much the same shape, but no district had fared so poorly as the Temple District. Scavengers rarely came here anymore, because there was nothing left to find, unless you knew where to look. Yet more often than not, those places were occupied by people that didn't want to give their treasures up. But these people were not scavengers, no. They weren't satisfied with having their own little treasures, they had to go out and take others. And when two of these such groups met, the meetings weren't pretty. And not just because the groups usually never washed.

These groups of extremist scavengers were known by most people as marauders. They made the Temple District a very dangerous place to be, and an even more dangerous place to scavenge. The horrible part of that was that the Temple District, by city standards, was tame. Places like the Arboretum were far, far more dangerous, because of their mutated inhabitants. The people of the Temple District were cruel and horrible people, but they were at least still people.

"We need to get moving. Quickly, quickly," Daniel said, already striding towards the walls of the Talos Plaza District. Sven and Julius followed behind him, while Sed stayed behind with his chair to wait for Marquis to make it up. Sven looked around cautiously at his surroundings. It was essentially just rubble as far as the eye could see, with a few walls standing alone and crumbling in a few places. There were some tents that had been pitched in some areas of the District, and this is where most of the marauders made their homes, usually on top of basements or near the ruins of some old building. It appeared that they weren't up and about just yet, which was good. That meant that they should have free passage back to the Talos Plaza District.

Halfway to the gate, it began to rain. Daniel either didn't seem to notice, or didn't care, but Julius was now cursing quite vividly at his bad luck. Sed and Marquis had caught up to them a while back, and Sed was merrily whistling again, while Marquis was stumbling along behind him. The poor man really seemed out of it. As for Sven himself, he hated the rain. He thought of the red tinged water as a depressing afterthought to the mortifying moments that came and went in everyday life.

* * *

By the time they reached the gates, it was still raining. Sven walked along with his head down, trying to shield himself best he could from the rain. Daniel was just walking along as he usually did, Sed was again whistling merrily, a sharp contrast to the situation, while Julius and Marquis were both grudgingly following. It seemed too peaceful to Sven. No one ever got through the Temple District without at least being harassed. He supposed that having two vampires traveling with you might deter some folks though.

The group passed through the open space where one half of the gate had once been and made their way into the Talos Plaza District. There was already a huge difference in the surroundings. It had gone from being just an open area of rubble to a shadow of the city that had once existed. And while it was only a shadow, in this city it was a most welcome sight.

**A/N: **_Sorry for how long this one took me. I've been really busy lately with some projects and haven't had the time to really read or write anything. I'm not sure when my next chapter will be up, but I'll do my best to devote some time to it._


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer****:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Eleven_

Julius walked in the Tiber Septim Hotel and quickly made his way to his room, slamming the door shut behind him, to the bewilderment of nearly everyone in the main room. Sed, Daniel, Sven, and Marquis made their way in afterwards, and Sven soon found the eyes of everyone in the room on him. Including the elder. He backed up and held his hands up in front of him, as if to fend off a blow. "Now hold on a moment. You all can't possibly blame this all on me!"

The elder strode forward and stood in front of him, peering up into his face with a look of grim determination that only old men could possibly achieve. "Marquis is a drunkard that can barely control his own actions, while Julius is a misguided youth that needs to be taught a lesson. You, Sven, should have been the voice of reason, but instead of stopping Julius, you managed to let him drag you off with him, and Marquis as well. If the blame should fall on anyone here, it should fall on you. You are an experienced and honorable member of this group, that is true, and that is exactly why all of this is your fault."

To Sven, those words, coming from an elder, may as well have been a slap. He snarled in rage at the thought of him being blamed for Julius's foolishness, but that only served to push the elder onwards. "Furthermore, of all the people here, you are one of the few that he would have listened to, but instead of trying to make him see reason, you went along with his plan and nearly got yourself killed. From this point on, Julius is going to be sealed in his room. He will not leave this place again, for his own good. As for you, I shall have to think of an appropriate punishment, but I think it is fair to say that by the end of this week, you will no longer be residing here."

That did it. "WHAT! You're making me take all the blame for that IDIOT? I tried to convince him not to go, but he was convinced. He hates you so much that he was willing to believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that you would hide his method of escape from him. He would have gone alone. So of course I went with him. I had to protect him, I at least owe his father that much."

"No matter the circumstances, the blame for the end result still falls on your shoulders. Madeline! Get Marquis to his room, would you? He looks rather unsteady."

A young woman helped Marquis down the hall as the elder turned to address the vampires. "Our most sincere thanks and apologies are extended to you two kind sirs. I'm sure it was a lot of trouble to go about finding these dullards, and you shall be rewarded appropriately, with your chosen gift. You and your kind are welcome to stop by here any time, Daniel."

"Many thanks, elder. I believe Sed and I shall stay the night here, and make our way back home come morning."

The elder nodded, then waved Sven away. He had been dismissed. Just like that. Sven turned his back and stormed to his room, then slammed it hard enough to dismantle the dust from the ceiling. So this was how they were going to treat him? After so many years of service and loyalty? Perhaps Julius was right in that respect. Perhaps the elder really didn't care.

He unbelted his sword and slid it under his bed, then allowed himself to fall back into it. He closed his eyes and relaxed, trying to calm himself. Eventually, he fell asleep, his mind alight with worry.

* * *

Sven woke as someone knocked on his door. He rubbed his eyes in annoyance and growled in frustration. Did these people even want to deprive him of sleep. He got up and wrenched the door open, with the best glare he could muster under the circumstances. And was greeted by a familiar face. He felt the glare slip from his face and become an expression of apathy. He turned around and sat back down on his bed as his visitor came in and placed a tray of food next to him, then sat down in the chair opposite.

He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Listen Alette, I'm sure-"

She shushed him, much to his annoyance. "No, you listen to me now, Sven. I'm very sorry for this whole debacle with Julius, and I'll see to it that he gets straightened out. Everyone was quite shocked about the elder's decision. We called a meeting earlier to discuss it and decided that we would appeal to him to reverse his decision."

"What exactly was his decision? I was never informed, all he gave me was the general idea, which admittedly, was more than enough for me."

Alette fidgeted nervously and twirled a piece of her blonde hair in her fingers as she stared out the window. "Well... You see, he's come to the decision that you're to be sent to the Arena as our representative to them."

"That doesn't sound that-"

"It's permanent. It's essentially an exile."

"Ah."

"That's it?"

"What else am I supposed to say? I'm not sure what to do anymore, Alette. I allowed a debt to a dead man suck me into Julius's stupid little dream."

"You can't be too harsh on him. You know what he's gone through."

Sven scowled, but when he met her gaze, it dropped away again. He couldn't remain angry at the fool with her staring at him. "No matter what he's done, it doesn't excuse what he puts everyone through. He keeps trying to reach for the impossible. He keeps hoping and hoping and hoping for a better future, but all he does is make things worse for everyone. There's no place for hope in a place like this Alette. All we can do is struggle to exist."

Alette averted her gaze and got up to stare out the window at the rain pelting the broken streets and buildings. Several people were rushing back and forth in the rain, having gathered what little food the could. "You know as well as I do that we need hope like his. Even if all it does is break down at the end, it provides people with excitement. There's so little of that here. People were talking you know. They thought you might have actually made it out this time. Especially when the elder hired those vampires to retrieve you."

"All Julius managed to do is nearly get me killed. Even if there is an exit in those sewers, we'd never have made it to it. And frankly, I don't know if I even want to leave. That world out there is bound to beautiful, I'm sure. Oh, what I wouldn't do to see things without this damn red tint to everything. But at the same time... I'm afraid of what's out there. I know this place, this city, and I know how to live. How would we make it out there, Alette? We'd be stumbling around in the dark, trying to find the light. We live in a city of shadows, but it's the light that causes those shadows. We know what to do here, how to survive."

"But do you truly want to live here for the rest of your life? Do you want your children to be raised here?" She turned around as she said this, only to be met by a blank stare.

"Yes, yes I do. Because as dangerous as this city is, it's also the only safe place to be. Now go. Thank you for the food, but I'm sure Julius will need you more than I. After all, now he's out of lackeys and scapegoats."

Alette frowned and looked like she was going to make a retort, but bit her lip and left. Sven stared down at the murky depths of his soup and wondered. Did he really want to live here instead of out there? He didn't know. But he did know that it wouldn't matter what he wanted in the end, so what was the point of even trying? Julius saw a point to it. But then did he really want to be like Julius? The answer to that question was a definitive no.

* * *

Daniel leaned back in his cushioned chair, holding a glass of what the unobservant might mistake for red wine between his fingers. Sed sat to his left, and he was staring at the passerbys. Though notably only those of the female persuasion, which earned him more than a few dirty looks. One of them even shouted something very insulting at him. Daniel supposed that the vampire look just wasn't in. _Must be the teeth._

"Allow me to ask you a question, William."

Sed's head immediatly snapped up; when Daniel used his real name, it was always something important. "Go for it."

"Do you remember that little diary? I've been thinking... Perhaps a visit to the Arcane University is in order."

Sed just stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? Have you forgotten that it's sealed off? Not just sealed off, but _magically_ sealed off. You know, turn you into a frog kind of magic?"

"It's toad."

"What?"

"They turn you into toads. That's the old saying. There's a difference between toads and frogs."

"O... kay. Toad. Right. What difference does it make? You're still being turned into a slimy reptile."

"Amphibian."

"Okay! I get the point! I don't know that much about stupid amphibians! But you understand what I'm saying, right? It's impossible."

"Not impossible, just very, very difficult."

Sed just rolled his eyes. Daniel always tended to act obnoxious after a few glasses of blood. "Then how to do you plan to get in, mister I know everything."

"Easy. We use the back door."


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Twelve_

As the rain continued to fall on the city, tinged red by the shield that guarded it, the mist descended on the streets. This was nothing out of the ordinary, in and of itself, as the dwellers of the Tiber Septim Hotel went through it every day. What was strange was that it was early. The sun had not yet disappeared from this sky, although it was hidden by the storm clouds. That had never allowed the mist to come out before though. It operated on a reliable schedule, coming and going by the position of the sun. Whether or not the sun was hidden by clouds should have had nothing to do with it.

But in this case, it apparently did. Fortunately, most of the city residents were inside due to the rain. Unfortunately, not all were. It came down, engulfing the people still out rushing back and forth through the rain, swallowing them in a wave. The mist streamed back and forth, blanketing everything before it and actively seeking out living creatures, like a guided wave. A young Breton burst through the doors of the Tiber Septim Hotel and jumped, trying desperately to get towards the torches that would save her life. The mist came in after her, to everyone's shock. People began screaming and running for their rooms. Some scrambled towards the girl and pulled her up and away, while others lit more torches or light spells to keep it away. Those with a source of light advanced forward slowly, pushing back the mist towards the door. It weaved back and forth, trying to avoid the light.

Then the elder entered the lobby from his back room, his face unreadable as he observed the chaos. He raised his hand a mumbled a word, then a great light shot from him into the middle of the mist, causing it to seemingly explode and rip itself apart. An Orc quickly heaved the door closed, and then everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief. People began peaking their heads out of their rooms, and the elder retreated back to his chambers, followed by several worried looking men and women. Things were changing once again.

* * *

Alette walked down the hall in silence. Everyone was silent right now. The mist attacking during the day, even a dark day like this, was unheard of. It could only mean that it was growing in power. No one wanted to think of what that might mean, or how it would affect their futures. She continued down the hall, passing a few people here and there with perturbed expressions who were speaking in whispers, as if the mist might get them if they were loud.

She eventually reached a locked door, and she could hear curious noises from inside. She took a key out of her pocket and unlocked the door, then pushed it open, knocking Julius over on the other side, his lockpick flying across the room. Alette stepped over him and picked it up off the ground, then looked at him like a parent might a misbehaving child. "And now what were you planning to do once you got the door open? Run outside into the mist and the pouring rain? Really, I always thought you were more intelligent than that."

"What do you expect me to do, sit here? I need to get out of this place! Things are getting worse in this city, and all the elder wants us to do is sit here. Well I won't! I'm going to find a way out, just you wait."

"That still doesn't explain why you were trying to go out the door when you have a perfectly good window behind you."

Julius just gave her his look, which essentially said, 'Yes, I'm aware, I'm not an idiot.' Of course, to Alette, this look usually meant that he had simply forgotten an important detail and indeed was an idiot.

"Well, like you said, what would be the point? The mist came early and it's raining, so no hope of escaping by torch light."

"Nice cover. I bet you just-"

"I did not!" Julius exclaimed, expecting her comment. He was hoping to cut her off before she went into a lecture, but it was too little, too late.

"Honestly! What is wrong with you Julius? Why do you insist on doing this to yourself? You know all you're going to do is get yourself killed, especially with the mad ideas you come up with. I bet this all wasn't even to escape, it was just to attract attention. That's it, isn't it? That's why you were trying to get out through the door, you just wanted to cause more trouble for everyone. Well I'm telling you to stop. I know what you're going through, and I feel the same way. I hate this place just as much as you do. But the way you go about things is all wrong. You nearly got yourself, Marquis, and Sven killed, and Sven is going to be exiled for helping you. Don't you understand that all you're doing is hurting people? I'm glad that you can hope, but you aren't using it in the right way. Maybe if you weren't so hostile to everyone, maybe if you weren't so manipulative, maybe then the elder wouldn't be so harsh with you. Instead, you walk around like you own everything, dragging people that shouldn't be involved into your business."

"It's not my problem that Sven and Marquis decided to come."

"Decided? You call coercing an alcoholic and telling a man that owes your family his life to come with you deciding? I doubt either one of them thought they had a choice in the matter."

"Whatever. It's not my fault that Marquis drinks and Sven's too honourable for his own good."

"No, but you took advantage of that. That's not right."

"I don't care if it's right!" Alette was momentarily taken aback, as Julius's voice rose. He began gesturing wildly as he ranted. "All I care about is getting out of here. I don't care who gets hurt in the process if I gain my freedom. I refuse to stay in this place anymore, this rotting excuse for a city. It's evil, and it's getting to me just like it got to my dad. I won't die like the rest of my family. I won't! And if someone else gets hurt because of that, well too bad. I can live with it."

"That's a terrible thing to say..."

Julius focused his eyes on here, while her green eyes looked down at the floor. "Why won't you help me Alette? I know you want to. Like you said, you hate this place just as much as me."

"Because as much as I hate the city, I care more for the people who live in it. If the elder decides that we need to look for a way out, then I'll help you. Until then... I should leave. You obviously don't want my company."

Alette turned and left, closing the door behind her. Julius sat down on his bed and stared out the window, already coming up with another mad scheme for freedom. Until every possible chance was dried up, he would keep trying. He looked over to the door for a moment, and his curiosity got the better of him. He got up and grasped the handle, then carefully turned it. The door wasn't locked. Julius could feel a grin coming to his face.

* * *

Marquis walked out of the kitchen, a fresh bottle of beer in his hands. He had a grin on his face that lasted right up until the moment that he collided with a solid object. A solid object that happened to be in a hurry, but not so much of one as to avoid being angry. Lyra Lepida looked down on the not yet drunken man in disgust. "Don't you watch where you're going, you old fool? Stay out of my way."

Marquis was going to retort with a rather nasty insult, in his opinion, until he noticed the shiny sword attached to the brown haired Imperial's waist. He looked up her leather armored figure until he reached her face. Anyone in the city probably would have recognized her, but not because of her beauty. It was because she was the daughter of the elder, and was renowned for her short temper.

Marquis immediately scrambled to his feet and offered a quick apology, then ran off. Lyra watched his back with narrowed eyes before continuing on her way.

* * *

As night finally descended on the city, Daniel and Sed were once again sitting in the same chairs they had been before. Daniel was flipping through the pages of the diary Sven had found, which he had some point acquired. Or stolen, if Sed was correct in his thoughts. He continually read it over and over again, as if he was looking for some sort of clue in the words. _Daniel is easily amused by such things, I suppose. I couldn't be more bored._

He watched an angry looking women with a sword walk down the hall towards the elder's quarters, and decided against staring. She might find it offensive, and Sed had the feeling that she wasn't the sort of person you wanted to make enemies with, no matter who you were. She glared at them as she passed._ Either just angry in general, or she hates vampires. Either way I'd be out of luck..._

When she was gone, Sed leaned over to Daniel, who was still engrossed in his reading, and whispered, "Did you see that woman, how she walks like she's superior to everyone? How much do you want to bet that she's the elder's daughter?"

Daniel looked up from the diary and gave his friend a curious look. "I thought the elders were supposed to be a chaste bunch, or something along those lines?"

Sed just laughed. "No, no I doubt it. I mean, seriously, can't you see the resemblance?"

"No, seeing how I didn't notice her."

"Oh. Well that's okay, I couldn't either. But it's all in the way she walks. You can tell a lot about a person from the way they walk."

Even as he finished, Marquis stumbled by, taking a swig from his bottle.

"See, that man's obviously an alcoholic."

Daniel just gave him a black look. "Really? I would never have guessed. Especially since I had to sit through four damn hours of listening to him complain about having no liquer."

"Okay, bad example then. In any case, what are you looking for? How is reading that old thing going to help us?"

"I'm not sure, but I keep getting the feeling that I'm missing something. Something important."

"That's all well and good, but do I really need to be here while you wait for your epiphany? I could be doing something important right now."

Daniel gave him another blank look that gave Sed the feeling that he was being very stupid. "Don't you bother the women around here enough while I'm around? I'd hate to think what might happen without my calming influence..."

With a pained expression, Sed overdrammatically exclaimed, "Oh, I haven't the faintest idea what you mean. I'm nothing but a total gentlemen when in the presence of the fairer sex."

"Yes, but I'm not worried about what you would do. I'm worried about what the fairer sex might do_ to_ you. I have no doubt that many of them have a wooden stake handy."

"Oh, but that's just a myth. You know that! It is a myth, isn't it?"

Daniel smiled at him. "Why don't you go bother those women then, and find out?"

Sed seemed to consider this for a moment, then relaxed in his chair again. "No, I think I'm find right here."

"That's what I thought. You know, perhaps we should volunteer to escort Sven to the Arena."

"Why would we want to do that?"

"Because he doesn't want to go to the Arena District, and we're going to want the extra hands."

"Why don't you get Julius then? He seems more than ready to get away from here."

For the third time, Daniel gave him that blank look. "I said extra hands, not an extra mouth."


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Thirteen_

Sven stood in front of the elder with barely contained anger. They were going to exile him, one of their best swordsmen and hardest workers, over such a trivial matter? It was ridiculous. If he ever saw Julius again, he was going to beat some sense into him.

He stood straight, his sword at his hip and a bag tossed over one shoulder, which contained all of his meager belongings. The elder was leaned on an old, wooden staff, and looked very tired. His eyes were closed as he stood there, almost wavering. His daughter, Lyra Lepida, stood beside him, watching him with a look of concern on his face. Sven simply stood there as more people gathered around to watch the elder make his speech. They were standing just outside the hotel, and daylight was once again shining down on the city in red-tinted rays.

Sven looked at the collected faces. He knew everyone in the crowd. Even the vampires were there, standing off on one side by themselves. The elder opened his eyes as Sven refocused on him. "It's time for you to be off. You have done great services to us in the past. However, an example must be made. We do what we must to survive, nothing more. We do not go into the depths of the city and we do not wonder about. All that will result in is more suffering, for curiosity angers the mist. It comes after those who go off on their own. To prevent any of this from happening in the future, I decree that all attempts at exploring the city will be met with exile. We do what we must, nothing more..."

Sven turned to walk away, but the elder wasn't finished. "In recognition of your service to us, my daughter shall escort you to the Arena. I do not wish you dead, Sven, only gone."

Sven was bristling with anger as Lyra stepped in front of him, smirking at him. This was nothing more than humiliation. An exile for protecting a brat, and an escort, by one of the most unpleasant people in the city, all the way there?

Daniel stepped forward from his position. "Excuse me, elder, but that shall not be necessary. Sed and I are headed in that direction anyway. We can escort him for you."

"No, she shall do this. It is the principle of the thing. You've already done so much for us; I would ask no further tasks of you."

"Then may we at least travel with them?"

"Whatever you desire."

Sven began walking as quickly as he could. He just wanted to get this trip over quickly. Behind him, three sets of feet moved quickly over the road, and it didn't take long for all of them to catch up with and overtake him. _Of course they would all be faster than me._

Lyra had a broad smile on her face, but for what reason Sven couldn't guess. The only time he had ever seen her she had been scowling, and he had never talked to her before. He was very attached to his limbs. Sed was also grinning, with his chair propped on his shoulder, but he was usually smiling like an idiot, so no surprise there. Daniel was the only one out of the three who wasn't happy. He looked concerned more than anything else, with his left hand balanced on the hilt of a katana while he watched Lyra. Sven did a double take as his eyes went back to the katana.

"Where did you get that?"

Daniel stopped and turned to him with a look of curiosity on his face. Sven pointed at the sword attached to his belt, and Daniel only rolled his eyes. "It's always been there. You've just never noticed it before."

"I spent the better part of an entire day with you, how would I not have noticed?"

"Well, if that answer's not good enough for you, I guess I just pulled it out of thin air. Maybe I summoned it from Oblivion? Does it really matter? It's a sword that's going to keep us out of trouble."

Sed was silently laughing behind him, but when Daniel turned around, he was walking again. Lyra had ignored the scene altogether and was now some distance ahead. The two vampires effortlessly caught up to her, but Sven had to run, grumbling about vampires and their ways as he did so.

* * *

Julius opened his door and looked down the corridor. There was no one there. He chuckled to himself, then ran all the way to the front door, which he opened quietly to the sight of the entire population of the Tiber Septim Hotel. He froze momentarily before he realized that they were all focused on the elder, who was currently speaking. He made his way outside and around to the back of the building, towards the main gate out of the city. His plan was to sneak all the way around the Tiber Septim Hotel and all of it's attached buildings by heading around the back, then escaping into the Temple District.

He wasn't thinking about where he would go to escape the mist, or how he would find food, or protect himself from the many hostile creatures and people in the city. All he was thinking about was getting away. Those thoughts were, unfortunately, interrupted when he tripped over a very solid object. He hit the ground with a thud and looked back to see the sleeping form of Marquis.

His eye twitched in irritation, and he got back up and kicked him in the stomach, waking the poor man up. He looked up in confusion and muttered a few words about how it was rude to disturb sleeping people. Especially by kicking them.

"I don't have time for this," Julius muttered as he glanced back the way he came.

"Time for what?" Marquis asked as he got up and dusted himself off.

"This! I've got to get out of here while they're all distracted and... Hey, what were you doing out here anyway."

"Well, everyone was making so much noise over there. Shouting and arguing and such. I had a headache and didn't want to hear it, so I figured no once would bother me out here. Until you showed up. And I'm quite sober this time, so I'm having nothing to do with your schemes and plans. They always end with me getting hurt."

"Right, yes, of course," Julius said, not quite listening to the now sober Marquis. He had that gleam in his eye that he had when he was thinking of another plan. Marquis immediately noticed this and attempted to shoot it down.

"No. No! I'm not going any-"

"Right. Come along then Marquis. We have things to do."

Julius began walking, and much to his own displeasure, Marquis found himself following him as he attempted to come up with an excuse. "But I don't even have anything to drink? How can you expect me to go along with your ideas without being drunk?"

Julius just nodded absentmindedly and kept walking. Marquis sighed in irritation and gave up. He might as well go by choice once. Yep, this was totally his choice. It wasn't the fact that it had become a probably painful habit. Nope, this was his choice.

**A/N:** _A bit short, admittedly, but it's something at least. I was going to write this earlier, but a virus stopped me in my tracks, so I had to get rid of that first and that was a five hour long process, so..._


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Fourteen_

Sven was the first to walk under the great arch into Green Emperor Way. It didn't take long to notice that something was off. Instead of being packed with people like it normally would have been around that time, there was no one there. Not a soul. Green Emperor Way had become a haven to the people of the Imperial City. It was completely overgrown, but in a good way. Unlike the jungle that was the Arboretum, Green Emperor Way was a forest, rich in animal life and filled with fruit bearing trees and bushes. It was almost like the souls of the dead emperors that lay entombed deep underneath their feet had willed it to be a place of peace. No one fought here, and everyone came here for food. If there was a such thing as total calm in the city, this was it.

It wasn't so much of a law that kept people from fighting, as an invisible agreement. Everyone abided by it, and those that didn't soon found out what is was like to be lynched by a mob. Sven recalled one moment in particular when an angry Khajiit from the Arena had killed a young child here, from Talos Plaza. In any other place, he would have had the right, as the child had tried to steal from him earlier in the day. But that hadn't been in Green Emperor Way. The killing, however, was. Everyone around him instantly pounced of the Khajiit and beat him within an inch of his life, even his fellows from the Arena. No mercy was given to the Khajiit, not even the mercy of death. They had left him, limbs broken, as food for the mist.

Now though there was nothing in view. No animals, no people, not even the chirping of an insect. It felt... Wrong. Daniel looked around the Distict, his hood up to block out the sun. His eyes were narrowed and he looked tense, as a hand drifted to his katana. Lyra's mood quickly deflated, and she tensed as well. Though her's was more one of surprise than concern, and she sniffed the air with a frown. "You smell that?"

Sed walked up beside her, his hood up as well on his graying cloak. The chair was still balanced on his shoulder, but his smirk had changed to a faint smile. "I do. It smells like... Daniel?"

The older vampire began walking forward carefully, towards the doors to the magnificent White-Gold Tower, that still stood gleaming and glorious as if in defiance of the ruins around it. The door had been bashed in. "It smells like death."

* * *

Julius's second trip through the Temple District did not go nearly so well as the first. As soon as he and Marquis had gone through the gate, five iron clad men with clubs had jumped them. Oh sure, Marquis had tried to fight back, until he realized that not only had he forgotten his drinks, he had also forgotten his sword. A very costly mistake. Julius, for his part, had instead tried to run. A club to the back of his head had ended any thought of that, and indeed any thoughts at all.

When Marquis finally stirred, heavily bruised from his inadequate attempts at resistance, there first thing he noticed was that they were underground. In the sewers. Again. Oh sure, from his current surroundings, it was possible that they were just being held in a room of a house, but considering what District they had entered, it was likely. They were underground in a raider hideout. And due to necessity, the only place small enough to protect themselves underground were the basement chambers that connected into the sewers.

There was a light dangling overhead, though the burning wood inside was beginning to burn out, making the light levels drop more and more. He could vaguely hear shouting from the room across from him, but couldn't understand the words. A quick sweep of the rest of the room revealing nothing more than a few crates and grate that dropped into the running river that was this portion of the sewers. Julius was nowhere in sight. _Did he escape and leave me to the carrion birds then? Typical. _

His arms had been tied behind his back, but his legs had not, much to Marquis's relief. Contrary to popular belief, he was very resourceful when he wasn't drunk. Perhaps because he didn't come from the Hotel itself, but had previously lived on the outskirts of the Arboretum. In his opinion, after surviving that, getting drunk every day and doing nothing was the least karma owed him.

He raised one of his legs up and shook it, being careful not to make too much noise, until a tiny blade, about the size of one of his fingers, fell out of the back of his shoe. It landed with a clatter on the stone floor, and Marquis winced as the sound echoed across the room, but the shouting in the other room continued uninterrupted. He drug himself over to the blade, which appeared to be severely rusted from age and improper care.

It was extremely old and cliché, but it worked nonetheless when your captors were as dumb as the lot Marquis was being held by. He moved over the blade and scratched his bindings with the blade, attempting desperately to cut through. Unfortunately, the rust prevented in from being particular effective. He glanced back at the door and wondered how long they would be occupied. At this rate, it was going to take a year or two.

* * *

Alette sat by the window, staring out at the ruins as people walked back and forth, going nowhere but walking anyway. It was rather sad. It had become a habit to most people to walk the streets of the Talos Plaza, even though they had no place to go to. It helped clear people's heads and it was always nice to get away from the Hotel, crowded as it was. But they would always come back. There was no other place that would welcome then. Nothing that would give that same sense of safety.

One of her very few friends, a rather hyperactive girl named Julie, was sitting beside her, chatting on and on and on about things that didn't matter and most likely never would. The girl was unbearably annoying to most people, but Alette had learned to bear her. The girl needed a friend, because the people around here who had no one to help them ended up dead very quickly, from the mist, or something else. It was a rough existence. You couldn't even trust your neighbors sometimes.

The political climate in the city had been getting stranger lately. The Elven Gardens had completely sealed themselves off in the past week, and no one was going in or out of there. The Arena was still open, but they were fortifying themselves. Raider activity had hit a new low, and the scavengers were only coming out early in the morning. It was like everyone was battening down the hatches and subconsciously preparing for the storm of the century. Even she had noticed it. Something in the city was changing. The mist was getting stronger and actively trying to get in, the sightings of creatures from the Arboretum was on the rise, noises were being heard from the sewers. Something, or someone was stirring up the city like a beehive. Now it was only a matter of how long it was until everything exploded under the pressure.

"...But you know how Julius got away again? Rumor is the Elders let him go so he'd get himself killed and they wouldn't have to bother with him anymore."

Alette snapped back to reality. "What?"

The girl leaned backwards, her short, brown hair brushing against the window as her green eyes looked at Alette curiously. "Well that's what I've heard. They're trying to get rid of all the troublemakers. That's what the entire deal with Sven was. Rumor has it there that Elder Marius sent his daughter to kill Sven on the trip there, though with those nasty vampires there, who knows what will happen. And now that Julius and Marquis are both gone, there's no one left here willing to make anymore escape attempts. So the Elders finally have thier peace and quiet. A bit odd though, don't you think? They've tolerated him for so long, so why now?" Julie asked, sounded genuinely curious.

Alette frowned. Julie wasn't the best source of information, but if what she was saying was true... "Julie, have you heard anything about the Arena lately? I mean, what's going on down there?"

"Not much. I heard they killed some scavenger that went there looking for food, but beyond that, nothing. They've gone silent, just like the Elven Gardens. It's like we're the only ones acting normal around here anymore."

"Normal? Who knows whats normal and what isn't in this city," Alette muttered.

Julie looked curiously at her again. "You okay Alette? You look pale. You want to go city the healer?"

Alette shook her head and just went back to staring out the window while Julie looked on in concern.


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer****: **_I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Fifteen_

Sven stared at the open doors, mystified. There was a strange feeling he was getting from the grandiose tower, one that drew him in. It felt... Magical. There was definitely a bit of magic about the tower though, that much was obvious from the entrance. While Sven should have been able to see into the tower from his position, all anyone could see was a pure blackness that masked everything. The doors seemed to simply stop existing halfway in.

The vampires were on their guard, as was Lyra, though she had that same expression of curiosity mixed with caution. Sven walked up the steps to the door and tried to peer inside, but even when he was close the blackness remained. _Not a play of the light then._

He reached out, as if to touch the darkness, only to have his shoulder grabbed from behind. He was spun around face to face with an angry looking Daniel. "Do not get any closer, you fool. Mortals are not allowed inside White-Gold. It's forbidden. You should know that."

"The elders forbid it, yes. But they also just exiled me, didn't they? Why should I pay any attention to their rules?"

"Because they're still smart. Whatever grudge you have against them has no impact on that. Think for a moment. The elders forbid you from going into the sewers for a reason. They forbid entrance to Arboretum for a reason. They forbid tampering with White-Gold _for a reason._ Whatever you may think of them, you have to recognize that they know more of what's going on than you do."

The vampire strode past him, reached out to grab the doors that had been bashed in at the very center, and threw them closed. Sven winced in a visible sign of pain and was forced to take a step back when a sudden scream echoed inside his mind. And then, all the feelings were gone. Everyone had gone back to normal, it seemed. "What," Lyra questioned, "was that. What's in there?"

Daniel turned to face the woman, his eyes analyzing hers and his posture stiff. "Nothing you need worry about."

Lyra's gaze turned angry once again. "Excuse me, vampire? Don't forget who employs you. Just because my father is the one that gives you handouts, doesn't mean I can't cut them off."

Daniel looked perfectly calm, but Sed, almost unnoticeably, began edging away from the argument. "Then consider this, human. The elders do not employ me. I work for them of my own free will, just as they reward me of their own free will. They are not foolish. You, however, have much to learn. You do not interfere with the depths of this city. You think of it as nothing more than a mass of rubble, but this city, at it's core, is alive. It teems with life. And power. Ancient power that corrupts fully and completely all that encounters it."

The vampire paused, glancing at Sven for a moment. He pulled the journal Sven had found from underneath his cloak and held it out for him to see. "This journal shows that. Your dear friend that write this would have been taken by them. Had I not intervened, knowingly or not, he would be worse than dead."

Lyra's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about, _vampire._"

"What I am talking about, _human_, are the demons that lurk in the dark of your souls, waiting to be unleashed. Did you think this city simply came to be from thin air? Of course not. You humans caused all of this and yet still you continue to make the same mistakes, over and over again. Just like Julius, and Aurelius before him, and Titus before him. Always the same. You Imperials do not know the meaning of caution. Now, what lies in that tower is nothing that concerns the mortal races. Nothing to concern those that wish peace of mind. It is a place where only the dead walk, and so it shall remain. Now come, we are wasting precious time."

Daniel turned, putting the journal back under his cloak, and walked away, leaving a fuming Lyra to stare at his back. A lesser man would be cowering a pleading for mercy, but Daniel was neither lesser nor a man. Sed breathed a sigh of relief and followed after him, as did Sven, though he kept sending cautious glances back at the angry young woman. Lyra herself took a moment to compose herself, but still hesitated for a few moments before going after them. She was so busy with her thoughts that she failed to notice that they had passed the gate to the Arena District.

* * *

Julius saw the punch coming, but tied to the chair as he was, all he could do was mentally prepare himself. Unfortunately, that didn't help with the pain any. To his credit, Julius didn't scream, even when he bit his tongue. "Now then, ya moron. What were you coming through here to get? You hiden somethin out here we oughta be aware of?"

The man's accent was rough, and if Julius's head wasn't spinning, he probably would've commented that he sounded like he was talking under water. "Eh? Here? What kind of idiot would come here to hide something? I'm just passing through, and that's the Gods honest truth."

The man, a Redguard Julius was now able to identify, cracked his knuckles. "Is that so? Well then, I guess your only usefulness will be as a punching bag."

Julius winced as another punch came towards him.

* * *

Marquis continued with his endeavor, but he wasn't making much progress. He could hear grunts of pain coming from the room, and more yelling. Things were getting ugly. _Well, uglier._

He could hear water coming from somewhere, and while he was curious about it, he knew where it was coming from. He was in the sewers after all. The room was getting darker and darker by the second, and the noise from the other room was escalating again. There was a sudden clanking from somewhere near him, causing Marquis to flinch. That flinch caused the blade to snap at the hilt, leaving the edge itself embedded in the rope he had been trying to cut. He cursed loudly, then froze when he heard the noise again. It was an odd tapping sound, like a walking staff almost.

He turned towards the noise and was surprised to see a faint light coming from the floor. He crawled over towards it, going ever closer to the door, and eventually found himself on some sort of grating. A drain, he realized, though why an underground building would need it he wasn't sure. Another thought on the matter also occurred to him. There was a drain to a sewer inside a room in the sewers. It seemed rather redundant to him.

Nevertheless, all such thoughts were banished from his mind when he got a look at what was causing the light. It was a lamp. And under the lamp, small and hunched over, was a red Argonian, clothed only in a few rags and standing on a raft in the middle of the water. The lizard seemed to be scraping fungus off the walls. Marquis couldn't believe his good luck. _Of course, with my track record, the Argonian will think I'm a mirage._

"Hey you, down there," Marquis shouted softly, trying to gain the Argonian's attention without allowing his captors to hear.

Much to his relief, the Argonian looked up at him, a mix of curiosity and shock going through it's mind as it listened. It looked good enough to Marquis. "Look, whoever you are. I'm in a bit of a sticky situation here, and my only means of escape sort of just broke on me. Do you think you might be able to help me out? Like, I dunno, taking me with you?"

The Argonian switched quickly from curiosity, to disbelief, to comprehension. "Ah, that's right, I'm under the Temple District aren't I. But they haven't killed you yet? Curious. Yes, human, I would be glad to help if it means spiting the raiders. They always try to interfere with my routes."

The Argonian's rasping voice was rather monotone, which made it hard for Marquis to guess it's gender, but he thought it was female at least. She motioned with a single hand, and Marquis crawled backwards. Beneath him, the Argonian pulled a small key out from a satchel on the raft, and unlocked the grating. Marquis was surprised that the drain had even been made to open in such a way, but he wasn't about to question his newly made streak of good luck. And just because it was just one thing didn't make it any less of a streak to him.

The Argonian climbed up into the room, taking Marquis into consideration, as well as the noises from the other room. She leaned down and grabbed the robes that tied his hands, and pulled upwards, snapped them easily. "What pathetic quality these people use. I bet even a rusty knife could cut through it in a second."

She missed the blade hanging from one end as she tossed it aside. Marquis rubbed the back of his head as he got up to a standing position, then glanced at the doorway. The Argonian did as well. "Got a friend in there, human?"

Marquis barely took a second to answer. "Nope, never met him before in my life."

"Good, cause I wasn't going to rescue him."

The Argonian dropped down through the hole and back onto her raft. Marquis rubbed his wrists for a moment and glanced back at the door. "Sorry buddy, but that's life." He then followed down after the lizard, and reclosed the drain behind him, though he couldn't lock it and the Argonian didn't seem concerned enough to bother. Which was enough for him.

As he eased himself down into a sitting position on the raft, which was cluttered with junk of varying qualities, the Argonian grabbed a pole that had been leaning against the wall, and began moving the raft forward. "So, three things. What's your name, where are you going, and will there be alcohol there."

The Argonian turned back to him again. "My name is Nakuma, we're headed to my home in the sewer directory, which is the very middle of the city, and yes, there will be alcohol."

"Nice to meet you, Nak, I'm Marquis, and I very much like the last part. How long will we be?"

"Another hour or so. But are you really in such a rush to get to drinking?"

"Well... That, and I don't want to hear Julius screaming."


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer****: **_I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Sixteen_

Lyra finally realized what was going on when they reached the gate to the Arboretum. "What in Oblivion do you vampires think you're doing?"

Daniel chucked for a moment, before turning to face her. "My my, took you this long to notice, did it? We're not going to the Arena. I never planned on it at all, just as I had never planned on you accompanying us, but then I suppose the elders were right to not trust me."

"This man," Lyra said, her hand drifting to her sword, "is going to the Arena as our emiss-"

"Oh please, spare me. I'm over ten times your age, do you honestly think I'm that stupid?"

"I have no idea what you mean."

Daniel grinned under his hood. "I'm sure. We all know that Sven here is going to his own imprisonment, or perhaps execution, depending on the mood those folks at the Arena are in. They quite enjoy throwing outsiders to the proverbial lions, do they not?"

Lyra remained silent on that point, though her hand was still on her sword. Daniel continued as Sven and Sed listened from behind him. "What I plan to do is far more important than some petty grudge or a ridiculous concept of honor. I'm going to the Arcane University, and I will need Sven's aid there."

Lyra's eyes narrowed. "Oh really? You'll need a weak mortal's aid? What for? If your arrogance is warranted, you outclass all us humans easily in everything. What could you possibly need him for?"

"There are some places where the dead are not meant to walk. The Arcane University is a strange place, full of archaic spells and ancient powers that haven't been seen in this city since the day the shield fell. It is said that all the power in the world was concentrated there before the Great Catastrophe, just as all the power of the world lay in Artaeum before it's fall from grace."

Lyra blinked in confusion. Just like Sven and Sed, she had no real idea of the history of the outside world. "Artaeum?"

"I wonderful little island that came and went with the mists in the ocean. Home to a very knowledgeable group of mystics. Far before my times, though they're still out there somewhere. I even heard that they were resurfacing before the Fall. Terrible timing, or perhaps convenient, depending on how you look at things."

"What does any of that have to do with-"

"Nothing, but that's besides the point. The point is that there were precautions placed by the Mages that may prevent Sed and I from doing what we are going there to do."

"Why are you going there at all?"

Sed perked up on this point, as he had been wondering the same thing. Daniel's head tilted slightly, as if he was thinking on his answer, but he just kept smiling. "More than anything, boredom. The journal Sven found reminded me of something I had been planning to do a very, very long time ago. However... Someone prevented me from doing so at the time. Now, that person is gone, and I am free to do as I wish. The Arcane University is only sealed if you know nothing about it. In reality, there are so many holes in it's defenses that I'm surprised no one's found any of them by now. I plan on exploiting those holes and entering the University, just to see what's there. And also to secure something of some importance to me."

"And what would that be," Sven inquired, causing everyone to turn to look at him.

"That's none of your business, now is it? I'll tell you when you need to know."

Lyra's hand finally fell away from the hilt of her sword. "So let me get the straight. You're headed into possibly the most dangerous part of the city, and bringing Sven with you into the heart of it, _because you're bored_?"

"Precisely."

Lyra smiled, but it wasn't the kind of smile that Sven was glad to see. When Lyra smiled at you, it usually meant you were going to experience a severe moment of pain. "Well then, I'll just have to accompany you, won't I? I have to insure that Sven makes it safely to the Arena after all, which is where he's going after this little diversion of yours."

"And now what reason could you, the daughter of the elder that would most certainly take offense to this little 'diversion' have to come with us, instead of trying to seize the man from our company."

Lyra continued to smile, but Sven could see an almost feral look in her eyes. "Because I want the experience, of course. So very few get into the Arboretum, much less the Arcane University, which hasn't been entered by mortals in decades. I'd be the most famous person in the entire city. I'd never have to do a thing again except sit around and tell stories around a fire. And since you vampires will be there to take care of anything, I won't have to worry about any of the danger myself, will I. Not that I wouldn't welcome the occasional fight," she said, trailing off.

Daniel laughed before replying. "Well, at least you're honest. I like that. But what makes you think you'll be any more famous than the rest of us?"

Still holding the sickening smile, Lyra responded, keeping her voice level. "Because you two are disgusting vampires that should be burned from the face of Nirn, that everyone will hate regardless of your accomplishment. And Sven is an old moron trapped in memories of his glory days, when they weren't even glorious to begin with. Not to mention he went and got himself exiled, so the only talk of him will be whispers about how much shame he brought upon himself."

Sven and Sed both glared at the girl, while Daniel was expressionless. "You really have no qualms about talking down to three people far stronger than yourself?"

"None whatsoever. Because if any of you harm me, there isn't a place in this city you can hide from my father's wrath. He'll bring every single person alive and not with a weapon down on your heads. He's already taken precautions, actually. When we don't arrive at the Arena, he'll be very angry. So only with me there are you going to get out of your death sentences."

Sven felt his eye twitch at the girl. _What I wouldn't give..._

_

* * *

_

Juius struggled to open his eyes, but every time he tried, he simply got a burning sensation in response. There was too much blood on his face. They had finally stopped beating him a few minutes back, but now it was all he could do to try and get to his feat. He was already developing some severe bruising. No doubt the only reason they had kept him alive was so that they could beat him up again at some point in the future. He had to get out.

It was strange though. He was sure the drunken louts had tossed him in the same room they had put Marquis in earlier, but he didn't hear a thing. Marquis surely would have come to help him up at least.

He struggled upwards, holding on to a crack in the wall for support. It was a miracle that they hadn't thought to retie him up. For once in his life, he was intensely grateful for the existence of the whisky Marquis was so fond of.

When he was certain he could stand on his own, he took a shaky step forward, only to fall again and hit the floor. But instead of hitting stone like he had been bracing for, he instead hit metal. _How odd. Perhaps a drain? Maybe..._

With all the strength he had left, and with only the desire to get away from the torment he knew would be coming if he failed, he raised his arm up and slammed his elbow down into the grate once, twice, then three times, but it still wouldn't budge. Yelling in frustration, he slammed his fist down on it, but still nothing happened. He rolled over and vainly tried to wipe the blood from his eyes, to no avail. All he managed to do was spread it even more.

He cursed in anger and tried wiping it off on his tunic, which worked a bit better. and managed to clear a bit of the blood from his face. As he was doing so, the latch that Marquis had improperly secured earlier inched farther and farther down.

Julius got up to his feat again, having regained some of his vision. He could stand on his own, but walked was probably going to be a problem. He looked down and saw that the metal really was a grate, and beneath it was running water. An actual sewer passage then. Imagining what the water contained, he was suddenly grateful that he hadn't succeeded. Now he just needed to think of a plan for escape. The passage beneath him would be a last resort. He was confident that most of the raiders were probably drunk, and that if he could only get the door in front of him open, he'd be able to sneak out. But first he had to actually get to walking.

He took a tentative step forward onto the metal grate, and was happy to see he still had his balance. He moved his other foot and took another step forward on the grate, just as the latch fell completely away. The grating gave out below him, and Julius fell down with a scream into the muck. He now only had one choice of escape.

* * *

Marquis turned to look down the tunnel. He could have sworn that he had heard yelling. "Hey Nak, you hear that?"

The Argonian turned to look at him quizzically. "No, I did not. Perhaps it was just... How do you above-grounders say it? The wind, yes. Perhaps it was just the wind."

"In the sewers?"

"Is that not the correct term?"

"No, no, it's not a saying or a metaphor or anything, it's-"

"Meta... Phor? What is that?"

"It's... Ah... You know what, nevermind, you're right. It was totally the wind. Gods I need a drink."


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Seventeen_

Sven looked around in wonder at the contents of the Arboretum. Having heard the horror stories from the few folks that had survived their trips into the jungle, he hadn't been looking forward to it. It wasn't at all what he had been expecting. It was very bright, with the sun shining down to light up the ground floor and all the many plants that were growing all around him. Even though the sun had been going down, it still seemed to shine with just as much power here as it did on the brightest of days.

While Sven's eyes weren't the best, even he could track the dozens of small animals that scattered at their approach. The place just teemed with life. There wasn't any other way to pit it, and Sven had never seen anything like it. Even Green Emperor Way still had that feel of death and decay, but here... Here everything was still alive and vibrant. He couldn't possibly fathom how it had received its reputation. It seemed wonderful.

Sed bounded up beside him and took a deep breath. "Nice out here, isn't it? Just remember, appearances can be deceiving. For instance, that girl that's stalking us looks nice and innocent, but beneath the cuteness lies a-"

"A what?"

Sed spun around, smiling brightly, as Lyra looked at him through narrowed eyes. "A very intelligent mind, of course."

"I'm sure," Lyra comment sarcastically as she walked past him. Daniel did soon after, and both were peering into the depths of the jungle.

"Despicable harlot," the normally cheery vampire muttered sourly.

Sed and Sven came up to stand next to the other two right next to the forest's edge. Lyra had seemed eager to get moving just a moment ago, but her current expression was one of uncertainty. "Father went through here in his younger days. He wouldn't ever talk about what was in there. It doesn't seem all that bad to me, but stories like the ones revolving around this place don't just pop up out of thin air."

Daniel tilted his head slightly, listening to the jungle. "Of course not. The place looks pleasant enough from here, but remember, this place is alive. The point is to appear welcoming. It's what is deeper in that you have to worry about."

With that, the vampire ancient walked inside without a backwards glance. Sed followed soon after, while Lyra hesitated for only a moment before continuing in their steps. Sven, lost in his own thoughts for a moment, hurried after the three as they made their way through the trees. He noted that no one had drawn a weapon yet, which he took as a good sign. He was hopeful that they would be able to go through the jungle unharmed, but he wasn't sure how likely that was.

As he brushed a leafy branch from his path, he looked up and noticed a creature he could only identify as a monkey staring at him. He had only seen one of the odd beings once before. It was a very rare occasion that the animals ventured out of their hiding places, and it was said that seeing one was bad luck.

Not that Sven believed in luck, of course.

* * *

Marquis looked around the large chamber that Nak had slowly brought them into. It was very high, though the Breton couldn't tell precisely how high the ceiling was. It was rounded though, and would have created a great hill on the surface. Marquis couldn't recall ever seeing anything but flat land above ground.

"Hey, you said this was in the center of the city? That doesn't seem possible," Marquis asked as the Argonian turned to face him.

"You probably haven't noticed, but we've been going down for a while now. It's a gradual thing."

"I see," Marquis trailed off as he examined the walls of the giant room. They were moving towards the center, which had a small stone island. That was where the female lizard most likely made her home, judging from the tent and various piles of junk that were amassed on top of it. The surrounding water, if it could even be called that, was horribly murky and filthy, with centuries worth of trash collecting on the surface. Marquis shuddered at the thought of actually being in it. A slight ripple made him change his attention away from the walls, which were covered in some black muck, to the left of their raft. He thought he briefly saw some sort of fin, but it was gone as soon as it had arrived, and the ripples ceased.

"Say Nak, is there... Something in the water?"

"If there weren't, do you think I'd be using this raft?"

"Okay then," Marquis began slowly,"what's down there?"

"I don't know. And I plan to keep it that way."

"Right."

Marquis sat down as they neared the island. Although the Breton was deeply grateful to be away from the raiders, he wasn't so sure it was in his best interest to be down here either. _Ah well. I'm sure I'll work something out._ _And I'm finally away from Julius, for better or worse._

* * *

Julius was not having a good day, to say the least. When he finally surfaced, his first thought was how much he wanted to avoid thinking about what was in the water. Which of course made him think about what was in the water. "Damn it all," he shouted at the top of his lungs. All that accomplished was filling his mouth with the foul liquid though.

Julius was most definitely not having a good day. He swam as quickly as he could to the rim of the sewers, where a small bit of stone was above the muck. It only took him a moment to climb on top of it, but it was harder than expected. For some reason, it felt like the muck from the water was solidifying on him. He was beginning to feel like he was encased in stone.

His injuries from earlier were still very much there as well, which he knew would probably cause a lot of problems later down the line. Nevertheless, all he could think about was getting to the surface. The question was, how would he manage that when he had no idea where to go, and how long could his body hold out? _Not very long at this rate. I need a plan. Something. Anything._ But for once he was all out.

He sat down with his back to the wall and closed his eyes, trying desperately to gain some of his strength back. He was going to have a very long, painful walk ahead of him.

* * *

The jungle wasn't so bright anymore. That was all Sven could think as he worked his way through the trees and other assorted foliage best he could. The vampires seemed to be having no issues, but Lyra was equally bogged down. _Damned bloodsuckers. Not even the plants will get in their way. I want to learn how to do that..._

He had lost sight of the monkey a long time ago, but he was now wishing that was the only thing he'd seen. They had spotted an obscenely large green snake a while back, and now he kept seeing the things everywhere they went. He wasn't sure if they were different snakes, or if it was the same one following them, but it creeped him out regardless.

Not that he had never seen snakes before. There were plenty always slithering around Green Emperor Way, but this thing was different. It was much, _much_ bigger than those. It had to be at least the size of a normal man, maybe bigger. He had never liked snakes, but seeing one that was large enough to swallow him whole was disconcerting. The vampires appeared to be paying it no mind, but were rather focused on listening to the sounds of the jungle, something Sven couldn't understand.

The place was, after all, rather noisy. The constant sounds of birds, insects, rustling leaves, and various other sounds common to the wildlife made hearing anything specific nearly impossible to Sven. _But then, the vampires do have better hearing than I do, don't they? Blasted bloodsuckers_

More than anything else, Sven was worried that they were taking too much time in getting through. If the sun went down before they found shelter and a source of light... He shuddered at the thought. Of course, he assumed the vampires had prepared for such an eventuality. Or at least so he hoped. They would make very bad guides indeed if they hadn't thought of something so obvious.

He nervously fingered the hilt of his sword as he continued forward, and thought briefly of drawing it and trying to cut his way through. Seeing how both the vampires and Lyra had yet to do so however, he had a vague feeling that such an action might not be the wisest. He jumped as a howl echoed across the jungle in the distance, and increased his pace, falling in behind Sed.

"Not so nice now, is it human?" the vampire asked pleasantly.

"Well, we still haven't been attacked, and I haven't seen any monsters, so..."

"Oh, go and blow our good luck why don't you."

Sven had no idea what the vampire meant by that, and decided not to ask. It would probably be for the best.

**A/N:** _Took me a while to get this one done. Sorry about the long wait, I'll try to be more consistent, I just don't have a whole lot of time at the moment._


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**The City of Shadows**

_Chapter Eighteen_

_There's that howl again. _Sven looked around, but in the ever decreasing light, it was hard enough to see where he was walking, much less anything in the distance. Lyra seemed to be having no issues and had yet to trip, as had the vampires._ Just me then eh? Typical._

They had been walking for about an hour, and Sven had the terrible feeling that they were walking in circles, but when he had mentioned this to Sed, he didn't seem the slightest bit perturbed. "Just follow Daniel. He knows the way," the vampire had said.

Sven had of course responded by asking if Sed himself knew how to get through the jungle. He had just mumbled something incomprehensible and walked ahead, a bit stiff. Sven took that as a bad sign.

The howl came again a few moments later, loud and long. It sounded vaguely familiar to Sven, but he didn't want to think about what might have caused it. Daniel, apparently though, did. He stopped and turned suddenly, staring through the trees and the brush, perhaps searching for any sign of pursuit. He turned back around again once he was satisfied that there was nothing there. He did say something though, which startled everyone. "We must pick up the pace. We're being hunted. And once night comes we'll have no cover, from both our pursuers and the natural hunter of all things; the mist."

"How long would you say until we run out of light?" Lyra inquired.

"A half-hour at best. We won't make it out of the district in time, I guarantee you. We need to find a place to take cover for the time being. Preferably someplace small."

As if to reinforce his point, a shuffle from a nearby bush made Sven jump. He was halfway to his sword when, to his surprise, a deer of all things ran past him from the foliage. The vampires were walking still, and hadn't even turned to look, but Lyra was staring at him like he was an idiot. _Typical._

_

* * *

_

Julius groaned as a bright light shined on him, momentarily blinding him. "Oh, what is it now?"

When he could once again see clearly, he was left open-mouthed at the sight in front of him. There was a figure standing at his feet that glowed brightly in the dark sewers. It had the body of a person, except for one key issue. He was see-through. Julius was being stared down by a wraith. How did he know it was a wraith? Well, the fact that the ghost was armed with a translucent sword was one clue. The other was the fact that ghosts in the city never ventured close to people. They were peaceful beings for the most part. The only time anyone ever encounter a problem with the spectral beings was when someone encountered a wraith. Wraiths are very similar to ghosts in appearance, the main difference being that wraiths generally killed anything they came across.

"You can't possible be serious. This is a joke, right? Someone's trying to be funny? No, wait, I have it. This is all a dream. And I bet if I were to experience some pain, I would... No, I've already been through a fair bit of pain, so I don't think that would make me wake up, would it? Maybe-"

_"Enough!"_

Julius stopped mid-sentence and stared back up at the wraith, at a loss for words. He didn't think the things could talk. He had apparently been mistaken.

_"Why do you trespass on sacred ground, human?"_

"Er..."

Being adressed by a ghost was definitely a first for Julius. He wasn't quite sure how to respond. Or at least he wasn't sure how to respond in a way that wouldn't get him killed.

_"Speak, human!"_

"Who, precisely, is this ground sacred too? It's a sewer, for crying out loud."

The wraith's non-existent eyes narrowed. _Bad choice of words then._

_"It's sacred to his excellency. All ground here is, human. Normally your sort don't come down here, but since you were foolish enough to tempt fate, I must inform you that your unwelcome stay is now over."_

"Right. Right. So does that mean this isn't a dream?"

There was a flash of light as the wraith broke apart into a recognizable form in Julius's brain. A wave of mist. The recognition spawned a reaction. Run away. Unfortunately for him, that reaction came far too late. One moment he was there, sitting against a wall. The next, he wasn't. And there was no proof that he had ever been there at all.

* * *

Marquis took a deep drink from the bottle of whiskey Nak had provided for him. "Ah, this is so much better than running around up there trying to not get killed."

The lizard herself was busy putting her various pieces of junk in the proper order, something Marquis thought was rather odd. _After all, what's the point of putting trash in a neat little line?_

The Breton had quickly taken to sitting in a small chair near the water and staring down into the depths, trying to spot the thing he had seen earlier in day. He had no luck thus far, and was beginning to wonder if he had imagined it in the first place. He took a brief respite from his watching to look around the artificial island, and quickly noticed something. They were in the sewers where there were no sources of light. He panicked for a moment before he remembered that the lizard had been living here for quite a while. She no doubt was prepared for nightfall. Still, his worry got the best of him.

"Say Nak, what are you going to do when the mist comes out?"

The Argonian looked up from here work to give the Breton a curious glance. "Oh, you don't have to worry human. The mist doesn't come down here anymore."

"I'm... I'm sorry? Could you repeat that, I must have misunderstood you."

The Argonian cocked her head sideways in confusion, but repeated what she had said regardless. "The mist doesn't come down here anymore. That's what makes it so safe. I haven't had to worry in many, many months."

"How is that possible? If anything, the mist should be stronger down here in the absolute darkness."

"Perhaps it simply isn't worried about the sewers anymore, and is concentrating on hunting all you humans on the surface down."

Marquis' eyes narrowed and his hesitant smile turned to a frown. "You make it sound like it's alive."

"What makes you think it isn't?" the Argonian answered before turning back to her work.

Marquis leaned back in his chair and took another drink of whiskey as he considered Nak's words. The thought that the mist was consciously coming after them had never occurred to him. If that was true... Wouldn't it imply intelligence? Was such a thing even possible? Marquis wasn't a scholar or philosopher though, and quickly put it out of his mind. For the moment, he was satisfied with the silence and his drink.

**A/N:**_ This one's much shorter than I had originally imagined, but I'm having a really hard time writing at the moment. My writer's block just refuses to go away, and once again I had to force this chapter out._


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**City of Shadows**

_Chapter Nineteen_

Julius woke up in a total blackness, unable to see anything around him. Perhaps, had he not gone through several mentally draining experiences already that day, he might have questioned how he was alive. As it was, he was merely thankful to be still breathing, and didn't question his surroundings. When he finally stilled his ragged breathing, the first thing he noticed was that it was very cold. Much colder than it had been before he had been taken by the ghost. Spectre. Thing.

He rose to his feet, and immediately noticed that the wounds he had suffered earlier had somehow healed, and that it no longer hurt to stand. _Well, that takes care of that, I guess._

"Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?" Julius shouted, his only answer his own echo.

He scratched his head momentarily in confusion, trying to remember what exactly had happened. One moment the ghost, spectre, thing had shot towards him, looking exactly like the mist that haunted his dreams, and the next he was waking up here. There was nothing in between. _Wait. I wake up healed, in total darkness, after being attacked by the mist... Am I in Aetherius?_

"No, weary traveler, you are not."

Julius' head jerked up as a bright light broke through the darkness off to his left side. The sound of stone grinding against stone filled his airs as the shining light filled the room. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the newfound illumination. When they finally did, he found himself surrounded by stone statues. Or at least that's what he thought they were at first. On closer inspection, he realized that there was far too much effort put into them for them to be mere effigies.

He could see the wrinkles in the tunic of the Breton next to him, the lines on his face, the wild fear still trapped in his eyes. These had been people. And he was in the middle of it. He looked over towards the door again and saw someone standing there, his body blocking some of the brilliant light from entering the room, his features masked by the shadows cast. He stared long and hard at the person, waiting for him to say something else, but he never did.

He walked forward through the maze of stone people towards the door, but was stopped by some invisible barrier that made him fly back to the ground a few feet away, as a red force shimmered into existence in front of him.

"You know, it has been so long since I've had a visitor. Decades, in fact. No one comes down here anymore, except for that stupid lizard. But she's smart. She evades my servants. You're not that smart though, are you? Oh, I can have all sorts of fun with you. I'd give you some company, but all my other friends had to be bad and try to run off. That's what the spell is for. So you can't run off," the man continued to babble. His voice was high-pitched, and Julius was reminded of a Bosmer, although he seemed too tall to be one.

As the stranger continued speaking, Julius looked around, hoping to find some method of escape. Unfortunately, from what he could see, the only entrance to the large room was the door the man was standing in.

"Er... If you don't mind me interrupting, how did I get here?"

"Ah, a question, excellent! Yes, it was no problem at all. I was alerted to your disturbance, when you crashed into the water, so I sent one of my precious servants out to find you, and find you he did! They're made of the mist you know. Very hard to harness, it was. Almost killed me a few times. But when I got control, oh, it was glorious. There was so much I learned from it. One thing was that when the mist surrounds a living being, it doesn't actually kill them, but rather takes the mass into itself. I'm not sure of the purpose in that. At first I had assumed that it took the life force of the beings it swallowed, which is why people taken by the mist don't go to Aetherius to be recycled, much like how an enchanted sword slowly breaks down the soul of whatever creature gave it the enchantment."

The figure stepped down from the doorway and into the room, allowing more light to spill in, and letting Julius see his face for the first time. Or rather, he saw what would have been his face, had it not been covered in bandages.

"However, now I believe they act more like soul gems, containing the life force of living beings and holding them until they are removed. In this way, it is possible to take a person with the mist, and transport a person using my servants. Quite ingenious, I must say, although the purpose of this ability still eludes me. Perhaps the mist takes the people it consumes to wherever the source is located. I would very much like to see that. Do you perhaps know where the source is?"

"Umm... No, I'm afraid not. So then, what is your name? Mine is Julius. I'm from above ground, from the-"

"It matters not where you are from, only that you are now here. As for my name, I don't believe I remember. It's been such a long time since I've spoken to anyone. You'll forgive me if my social graces are less than adequate, I'm sure."

"Right, of course," Julius started to answer warily. "Could you perhaps let me out of here? I'm sure I can help you with whatever it is you want if you do."

"No, I think I'll leave you here for now. Besides, I don't need your willing cooperation. I just need your presence. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of preparing to do. It's been so long since I've had guests."

With that, the man turned and walked back out of the room, closing the door behind him and sealing Julius away again in the darkness.

* * *

Daniel stopped in his tracks after passing a particularly odd looking red-leafed tree. Sven looked towards his questioningly as more howls sounded behind them, and the sun dropped further from the sky, plunging the jungle into near night. The mist would be out soon. Sven fidgeted in his books as a few seconds passed, then a full minute. Lyra seemed equally uncomfortable, although she was better at hiding it, the only evidence of her worry being her constantly shifting eyes. Sed seemed more comfortable than the both of them at least, although that really wasn't saying much.

He was busy watching the trees they had just passed, eyes peering through the spaces in the leaves, searching for something. Sven decided not to interrupt him. Instead, he turned back to Daniel. "Not that I want to rush you or anything, but could we possibly get to cover before something eats us?"

Daniel didn't even bother turning around. "It's here, somewhere. The land has changed, but the path remains."

"O... kay then," Sven said slowly, turning back around. The howls seemed to be getting closer.

The next time he looked at Daniel, he was gone from the spot and kneeling next to the tree with red leaves. He seemed to be partially digging for something. "The leaves have changed colors since the last time I was here. That's what threw me off," he said quietly.

After a few moments, the dirt at the base of the tree fell inwards, revealing a small tunnel. _A very small tunnel. How is anyone supposed to fit into that? _

"Well, there we go."

Lyra watched Daniel back away from the tree, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "You expect us to crawl into that? Are you kidding? There are probably bugs and worms and who knows what else down there!"

"Scared of a few creepy-crawlers?" Sed said with a grin, taking the opportunity to mock her farther. They had been arguing back and forth most of the trip.

"Excuse me?" Lyra bristled. "Of course not, I was merely making an observation. Plus, only a kid could fit into that."

"You'd be surprised what you can do when death is imminent. Besides, it's bigger than it looks," Daniel said.

"Well, that wouldn't take much," Lyra snapped.

"How about you go first, Sed."

Said vampire turned sharply, eyes wide. "But, but... I mean, why can't Lyra go? Ladies first and all you know. I mean-"

A look from Daniel was all it took for Sed's face to fall in defeat. He got down into the dirt near the tunnel and tried to work his way in, and surprisingly slid into the dirt. He worked his way forward, and Sven could hear him muttering angrily as Lyra watched on, close to laughing. He moved forward a few feet, and then there was a yelp of surprise, and his feet disappeared from view. Lyra's hand immediately went to her sword, and Sven backed up while Daniel was impassive.

"Lyra, you're up next. Mind the drop."

"Are you insane? There's no way I'm going in there!"

An extremely close howl echoed nearby, as there was rustling in the nearby brush. Lyra needed no more prompting than that, not quite holding her confident facade up well enough. She went over to the hole that Sed had created and, complaining all the way, crawled into it until she fell as well. After she had gone through with a yelp, Daniel turned back around to look at Sven and motioned with one hand.

"Your turn. I'll follow you momentarily."

Sven didn't need any convincing as Lyra had. He had already been in some very dirty places in his life, surely wherever this tunnel led couldn't be any worse. He got down into the dirt and immediately became distinctly uncomfortable. He worked his way forward, what little light was left in the jungle quickly disappearing as his head went under the ground. It took only a few seconds to find the ground falling underneath him, and he fell into the blackness with only a startled grunt.

He did shout when he hit the floor fifteen feet down though. Luckily, by then Lyra had moved out of the way, or she would have been in a very unfortunate situation. He slowly got to his feet, only to find the small space wasn't big enough for him to stand in. He learned this by hitting his head on the stone above, which made him shout in frustration and pain again.

"Quite down, you dolt. Does anyone have a torch?" he heard the voice of Lyra ring out behind him. It actually echoed very faintly.

There was a sudden burst of green light as Sed used a light spell, drowning the exceedingly small space in magical light. The tiny cave they were in was completely made of rock with a covering of dirt. There would only be just enough space for Daniel in here as well, if they were to all get at least a measly amount of space to themselves.

"Oh, well isn't this just great," Lyra intoned dully, her face showing her irritation and perhaps a small amount of rage at their new accomodations.

"Better than being outside isn't it? Personally, I think it's... Quaint. Makes one feel close to nature and all that," Sed responded slowly.

"You can't even say that with a straight face, can you?"

"Er... Well I don't know, I mean-"

Daniel dropped down through the hole before he could finish, perfectly straight. He ducked down so that he wouldn't it his head on the stone, and gave each of them a look that suggested he would take no complaints about their situation. At that moment, only one question was going through Sven's mind though.

"How did you do that? Land on your feet like that?" Sven asked, shock and a little anger that he hadn't accomplished the same thing echoed in his voice.

"It's a vampire thing," Daniel responded with a small smile.

"Hey, why was I not informed of this thing?" Sed asked, faking hurt.

"Because you have to have at least a measure of skill, my friend."

Sed gave a dramatic sigh, and turned around to face the wall. "My heart, it aches at such injury!"

Daniel chuckled for a moment, before becoming more serious. "Now then, I suggest you all get some rest. Those creatures are too big to get down here, so don't worry about that. The mist will not come to such a secluded spot either, if my past experience is anything to go by. So, sleep well children. We're getting up as soon as the sun rises."

"Oh, joy upon joy," Lyra muttered.

**A/N: **_Consistency is apparently not something I'm capable of. Oh well. This took me a really long time to write, but I blame that on holidays, break, and the various family and friend issues that come with them, respectively. _


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**City of Shadows**

_Chapter Twenty_

"You know, I'm fairly certain I must be insane."

Sven looked up from his futile attempt at rest to the sound of Lyra's voice. She was somewhere near him, although near was a rather pointless description considering their current predicament. He had been sitting there for about an hour, he supposed. Try as he might, he had been unable to sleep on the cold rocks. He had been in worse positions of course, but the thought that the mist was right above him, fully capable of snuffing his life out in an instant, was more than enough to keep him awake.

"Is that so?" Sven answered, not really in the mood to deal with the girl.

"Don't know what I was thinking. Glory and fame are great and all, but not if I'm not alive to enjoy it. And placing my safety in the hands of a vampire? Not the smartest decision I've ever made."

"Well you know, if they wanted you dead, they have the perfect opportunity right now. A small space, total darkness; you wouldn't even be able to react I bet," Sven said, a small smile creeping onto his face.

There was silence for a few minutes as Lyra processed that information. "Well... They'd be in the same position so..."

"Nope," Sed said quietly, startling Sven and making Lyra yelp in surprise. "You see," the vampire continued, talking in a nearly monotone voice, "we vampires can see in the dark, and even if we couldn't, we can smell you. So, every move you two make I'm aware of."

Sven was left momentarily without words. He had never heard Sed talk like that before. It was creepy.

"By the way, you two should try human-watching sometime. It's very entertaining, watching people's reactions. You can learn a lot about someone by watching their body language," Sed finished, his voice cheerful again. Sven was sure he was mocking them.

"Damn vampire," Lyra muttered, just loud enough for Sven to hear. Sed, having enhanced hearing, picked it up as well.

"I may be a damn vampire, but at least I'm not afraid of the dark," Sed said, his voice taking on a sing-song tone.

"I am not afraid of the dark!"

"Oh? Then why are you sitting there like that, hmm?"

"Like what?" Lyra spat venomously. By the time she finished the question, she was already regretting it.

"Oh, with the knees pulled up and with your arms wrapped around them, like you're protecting yourself from something. And you have your head sitting on your knees, like you're trying to make yourself smaller. And earlier-"

"Have you been watching me this entire time?" Lyra exclaimed, furious.

"Oh yes. Didn't you pay attention to what I said earlier? Human-watching is fun."

"You know, that's a bit creepy," Sven cut in. "Almost stalkerish, I'd say. Very much like a..."

"Like a vampire?" Sed scoffed at that. "I'm very tempted to be offended by that you know. I don't go around making fun of you because you're a Nord... You are a Nord right? Because I heard a hilarious joke once that-"

"Will you shut up and go to sleep Sed!" Daniel shouted, making everyone jump at the sound of his voice.

"Er, yeah, sorry boss. Sleeping, on it."

* * *

"Alright everyone, on your feet!"

Sven woke with a start as Daniel shouted everyone awake. At some point he had fallen asleep, miraculously, although he wasn't sure how long he had slept. It didn't feel like very long, that was sure. He had no idea how Daniel knew it was morning either, considering it was still pitch black in the small cave.

Nevertheless, when Sed put up a light spell again, he forced himself to his feet, keeping his head bent so as to avoid hitting it on the ceiling. "So, how exactly are we getting out of here."

"Daniel looked at him blankly for a moment, then cleared his throat. "We climb, of course. How else?"

Sven turned and looked towards the hole and the jagged edges it had. It looked painful. "Up that? Really? 'Cause I'd like to not be bloody by the end of this."

"Look, would you rather climb up that and get a few cuts, or get swallowed up by the mist? Because that was the alternative," Daniel snapped irritably.

Sven was taken aback by the tone of the elder vampire. Normally he was very calm. _Has he not had enough blood lately or something?_

"You didn't plan this far ahead, did you," Lyra said smugly from behind him.

Sven turned in surprise, just as Daniel looked over his shoulder at her. He didn't answer though, which led Sven to wonder if she was right. _Is that why he's annoyed? Because he didn't plan how to get out once we got in? Is that _all_? Honestly..._

"Alright, so we climb. Once we get up to the surface again, which shouldn't take too long, since the drop wasn't that far, how long do we have to go before we get out of the jungle?" Sven asked.

"Hmm. We're fairly close to the end. Maybe an hour or two's walk, I think. If we're lucky, we can get out before anything decides we look like a good meal. There'll be more activity on this side though."

"Wonderful. So we spent all night literally in a hole in the ground to get away from the mist, and we're going to end up getting eaten by some monstrously deformed animals. Joy," Lyra intoned dully.

"Don't worry Lyra, if we do get attacked by animals, they'll probably go after you last. You know, because you're so short and all," Sed said in an innocent voice.

"I am not short," Lyra bristled.

While the two continued to bicker, Daniel moved forward and, with the grace that seemed to typical of him, found an easy handhold and threw himself upwards. Sven stared in amazement as he cleared the hole in less than ten seconds. Truly, his reaction time and dexterity were far greater than anything he had ever seen.

As Sven went forward and took hold of one of the handholds Daniel had used, he noticed several jagged rocks in the same path that Daniel had somehow avoided. He winced as he imagined the ascent. He could already imagine this not ending well.

**A/N:** _Chapter twenty! Okay, so it's not as long as the last chapter, but I've pretty much given up on trying for a consistent length, and I'm just going with whatever I feel comfortable with. And yeah, I know updates are few and far between all things considered, but I've got a lot of things going on, especially with classes picking up. Once the year is over, I'll be done and clear though, so hopefully I can return to a more frequent updating basis then. Reviews are appreciated!_


	22. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**City of Shadows**

_Chapter Twenty-one_

"Daniel, I want you to know just how much I hate you right now."

The vampire turned slightly to observe his companion from the corner of his eye. The Nord had accumulated a number of cuts and gashes on his arms and hands, and while the bleeding wasn't that bad, it was enough to possibly be troublesome if not taken care of. Infection was a real possibility in this place. He sighed nearly silently and turned, putting a hand on the man's shoulder and forcing his magicka to the surface as the healing light spread across the Nord's body in a bright blue flash.

"There, now stop complaining," the vampire said, already moving past him towards the hole again. "Sed, hurry up. I don't feel like waiting for you two down there. You two newlyweds can-"

The vampire was interrupted by two simultaneous shouts of outrage from the hole. Sven chuckled and looked around, scanning the jungle for any signs of life. There were none. Not even any birds. The hair on the back of his nick prickled as he edged his way backwards. No, something was there. He couldn't see or hear it, but...

"Stay calm and help Lyra up," Daniel said, as if reading his mind, just as Sed made his way up, still bickering with the female warrior.

As he got to his feet, the vampire looked to his counterpart and quickly tensed, going to his side where he whispered something Sven couldn't hear. He swiftly got down and helped Lyra to her feet as she climbed out of the hole with a grunt. He noticed with some small measure of disappointment that she was unharmed from her climb.

"How did you get up without so much as a cut?" Sven asked with a frown.

"Because unlike you, I actually have a sense of grace and dexterity. You, being the big dolt that you are, wouldn't understand," she responded with a sneer.

"Now hold on a minute, I have plenty of dex-"

"Shut up."

Sven and Lyra both turned sharply to Daniel, who had yet to budge from where he had been standing. "We do not want to be here right now. Things are about to get very bad, so on the count of three, you're going to turn around and run, understand?"

The two humans nodded an affirmative, both wary now and reaching for their swords.

"One, tw-"

Before he could even finish, a great howl split the air and a massive form smashed the trees in front of him to bits. Sven's eyes went wide as he saw the grotesque thing that had appeared. The best way to describe it would have been a giant, red and green lizard. It was at least twice the size of his own body, and the main part of the body was a dark green, with a single line going from its mouth, across its back, and to the end of its tail that was a blood red. Each of its feet had vicious looking claws on them, though them seemed to be dull from both extensive use and movement. That was no comfort to Sven though, as that would only increase the pain from getting ripped into by the things. The thing that really attracted his attention though was the fangs. The_ very _sharp fangs the size of shortswords.

"Screw the countdown!" Lyra shouted from beside him, turning and running like her life depending on it. Which it pretty much did. It only took a moment for Sven's brain to get back in gear before he hastily followed.

The giant lizard paused, watching the humans run, before focusing its attention on the vampires and hissing, spraying them with spittle. "Now that's just plain rude," Sed complained, as he reached into his pocket and pulled something out, settling it over his eyes as Daniel looked at him in something akin to a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Are those... Glasses?"

"Sunglasses. Can't you tell with the tint? Mage blessed you know. They're really hard to find these days," Sed said in a calm voice that betrayed none of the anxiety he was feeling.

"Why do you have sunglasses? You're a vampire!"

"Precisely. We need all the protection from the light we can get."

Daniel could feel his eye beginning to twitch.

"Besides, it's all about style. I mean really, can't you tell how stylish these things are? Why, I bet that lizard is just trembling in fear from looking at someone as cool as me."

Said lizard just looked confused.

Daniel then said what he had been thinking throughout the entire conversation. "You're insane."

"Only slightly," was the response, before the grinning vampire turned to the lizard, which had now gotten over its confusion. It roared again, and Sed wilted before it. "Erm, yeah. Anyway, have fun!"

The vampire then turned and ran for his life. Or unlife, as the case may be. Daniel's eye was by now twitched madly. "Idiotic, insane, ungrateful... Well come on then you oversized iguana. I need a new pair of shoes."

If Sed has not decided to run, he would have heard what sounded suspiciously like a whimper of fear.

* * *

"You know, I get the distinct feeling that we're in a bit of trouble here," Marquis said, looking around the Argonian's home.

"You don't say," Nak responded, as she slowly backed up.

And indeed they were in some trouble. Everything had been fine up until Marquis had woken up to find the mist hovering up at the ceiling. Ever since then it had been slowly descending downwards until now, where it completely surrounded their small isle.

"This is all your fault, human. If you hadn't be yelling so loudly last night, I bet the mist would not have found us."

"That's not my fault! I swear I saw a wereshark in there."

"How would you even know what a wereshark looks like?"

"That's... That's not the point!"

"I thought that was exactly the point. You drank too much. You humans have a disappointingly low tolerance."

"Oi, I could drink you under the table any day, Argonian."

"Would you not have to have a table to do that? And I do not understand. Why would you drink underneath a table?"

Marquis sighed, even as the mist continued to close in on him. "It's an expression, Nak."

"I do not understand your human expressions. They make no sense."

"No, see, you say that because..."

Marquis trailed off as he saw a figure forming from the mist.

_"Attention intruders, you are on sacred ground," _a voice blared in his mind.

Marquis was so confused by this that he couldn't even muster up a response before the figure deformed and rushed forward. He could only let out a high pitched scream as the mist surrounded him and everything went black.

* * *

Marquis groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. The first thing he became aware of was that he was not, in fact, dead. The second thing he became aware of was that he was in total darkness. Upon realizing this, he let out another scream and stumbled to his feet, shouting for help. Which led to him becoming aware of a third thing.

"Marquis? Is that you?" a horribly annoying and familiar voice asked.

Said Breton froze in mid shout, then screamed again. "Dammit, why couldn't you just kill me?"


	23. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**City of Shadows**

_Chapter Twenty-two_

Sven continued his sprint through the jungle, managing to pass Lyra, who had lagged behind. She had made the foolish decision of drawing her sword, which was continually getting stuck on various plants, slowing her down. _Hah. I may lack a "sense of grace and dexterity," but at least I'm smart enough to think ahead._

As he leaped over a fallen branch, he saw a blur rushing towards him from the side. He didn't even have time to turn before the thing slammed into him, sending him sprawling to the ground. Seeing stars, he looked up to see, to his surprise, an animal he actually recognized. "A troll? Of all the things that survived in this jungle, trolls had to make it?"

The monster growled, drool dripping from its mouth as it stalked forward. Sven was going to die, he was sure of it. He wouldn't be able to draw his sword fast enough to dispatch the thing, not lying on the ground as he was. Then, he promptly remembered that he wasn't alone as a sword came flying through the air, piercing the troll through the stomach. Quickly rolling to his feet, Sven drew his sword from a crouch and slashed upwards, catching the being in the head. Quickly getting to a standing position, he waited as Lyra ran to him, securing her sword and taking care of the blood with a simplistic flourish.

"You threw your sword? From that distance? And hit something? Isn't that against the laws of physics?' Sven asked incredulously.

"What, no 'Thank you for saving me Lyra?' no 'Thank the Gods you got here in time Lyra?' not even a 'I'm forever in your gratitude and will be your servant to the end of time Lyra?"

Sven did a double take as he turned to continue running, mostly ignoring her rant. "What was that last one?"

"Oh, nothing. Now get to running before I'm forced to dirty my hands saving you again," she replied, accompanied by one of her stereotypical scowls.

Just as he got to moving, another blur, this time a familiar one, flashed past him. The vampire Sed paused in his flight just long enough to take an inquisitive look at the dead troll before shrugging. "Hmm, haven't seen one of those in a while."

Without another word, he ran off again, using his superior abilities to quickly move out of sight. Not that that was very hard, considering he could hardly see ten feet in front of him due to the overwhelming presence of the plants. "Damn vampire. There should be rules against that sort of thing. It makes me look bad."

Lyra scoffed. "As if that's difficult. And is that seriously the only insult you have? Can't you think of something more creative than pointing out the fact he's not human?"

"What, are you suddenly trying to stick up for him or something," Sven questioned curiously.

"No, I just think that if you're going to try and put someone down, you should try and put some effort into it. 'Damn vampire?' Seriously? A two year old could come up with that."

"Well sorry for not being very creative with my insults. Unlike some people, I try not to focus all my energy on making other people miserable."

"It's hardly all my energy. It's a quarter of it, at best."

Sven just stared at her incredulously for a moment before going silent, having no way to respond to that.

* * *

"Marquis? You drunken moron, is that you?"

Said Breton was desperately clawing at the walls, trying to escape, and thus made no reply. Taking this as an affirmative to his question, Julius immediately perked up. "It is you! Finally! You have no idea how infuriating being alone all this time has been. Where have you been Marquis? What took you so long to find me?"

Groaning, Marquis turned his back to the wall, sliding down it to collapse with his head in his hands. "I didn't come looking for you, you arrogant idiot! I got caught by the mist. And when things had been going so well too."

"Enough with your complaining. Come on, we have to find a way out of here."

"Do you have an idea bout how to do that?" the Breton inquired.

Julius looked in the general direction of Marquis' voice and sighed impatiently. "Of course not. If I did, do you think I would still be here?"

"Well there's no need to be rude," Marquis muttered in reply.

Then, a sudden burst of light interrupted whatever reply Julius was going to make, and the Imperial could only stare as the man from before reappeared. From the source of the light, the odd man walked straight across the room to to stand a few feet away from him, apparently peering behind where he was standing expectantly. From this distance, he could see that his entire face, aside from his left eye, was covered in bandages. His entire head was wrapped in them, in fact, giving him a mummified appearance. The only break in this was the single emerald eye that practically glowed in the darkness, and a few tufts or grey hair sticking out from some of the bandages on the top of his head.

Confused as to the meaning of his stare, Julius half-turned to look behind him, allowing the masked man to find what he was looking for. Suddenly, he squealed in what Marquis, staring at the man from his left, could describe as insane glee.

"Finally, finally, finally!" Marquis half-expected the strange person to jump up and down in a childish display of happiness. It seemed to fit his image so far. "Oh, finally! That blasted lizard got away from my servants time and time again, but here she is! Oh yes, now my life is complete," the man sighed dramatically at the end, spinning on his heels and turning to walk back towards the exit.

Nakuma, who had been hiding behind one of the mysteriously lifelike statues, finally came out from her hiding place looking rather dejected. She looked towards Marquis for a moment before turning back to the masked man. Marquis frowned. Had he just been glared at? It was so hard to tell with the beast races.

Then the man looked back over his shoulder, which Marquis noted was covered with some kind of odd looking cloak, at yelled in a very high pitched voice that sounded almost comedic, "Well, what are you all standing there for? Come with me! My preparations are finally complete, you know."

Julius only gawked at him for a moment, before regaining control of his wits. "But... But what about that shield that was here before?" he stammered out.

"Oh, that was just a precaution. No need for it anymore, so I turned it off. Simple."

No further words were exchanged, as the figure continued into the light, and Marquis the Breton, Nak the Argonian, and Julius the Imperial followed after him. Before being engulfed by the bright light that forced him to close his eyes in near pain, Marquis couldn't help but think he walking towards his destiny. _But such thoughts are silly. Those sort of things only happen in fantasy tales. Right?_


	24. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**City of Shadows**

_Chapter Twenty-three_

Julius blinked. He blinked again. He blinked a third time. And then, finally, he had the presence of mind to manage a complete sentence. "What exactly are we looking at?"

The bandaged man turned towards him briefly, his single eye wide, as if he couldn't believe he was being asked such a question. Though, considering the situation, Julius thought that might actually have been the case.

Regardless, he waved towards the object they shared the room with in a grand gesture that made Julius blink again in confusion. Did this guy just like being dramatic or something?

"This, my new servants, is the thing keeping us all alive."

_Okay. So he _does _like being dramatic. Glad that's cleared up._

Marquis, however, chose to pick up on something else. "I'm sorry. 'New servants?' What does that mean? I don't remember agreeing-"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about trivial details like that. After all, if you refuse I'll just kill you, so there's really no agreement to be made, yes?"

"Ah... Of course."

"Anyway, this wonderful little artifact is what has stopped the mist from killing you, instead bring you to me! Wonderful, is it not?"

Julius took the time to actually examine the thing in front of him, after making sure that this all wasn't some sort of cruel nightmare. Unfortunately, it was not so. The object in question was a giant, silver sphere suspended in the air by four pillars, each at a corner holding it up. On each pillar was some sort of scrawling text that he couldn't read and imagined hadn't been used for centuries. The sphere itself was easily five times his size, with wavy lines crisscrossing its surface as it slowly turned. Then Julius noticed something out of the ordinary. The pillars weren't touching the sphere, it was _floating_ between them. Despite the fact he knew he was going to regret asking, Julius' curiosity got the best of him. "Okay then, so what is it, precisely?"

"Well, this sphere actually contains pure, unharnessed magicka within it! I'm not entirely certain why it is contained inside the sphere, or why it is floating as it is, or what the pillars are for, but I know that much."

Despite the questions in that statement, Julius thought the man sounded rather smug.

"I have also determined that this ball is one of the sources of the mist."

Julius recoiled in horror, taking an unconscious step backwards in some pointless feeling of self-preservation. As always, Marquis was the one to actually be observant. "One of?"

"Oh yes. This artifact generates the mist around it when given the proper stimuli. However, it is not large enough to create the mist that blankets this city at night, and only makes enough to satisfy my needs. Over the decades, I've become quite good at manipulating the mist using my own magic. You see, by charging the sphere with my own powers, I can consciously control the mist, seeing what it sees. It's quite a different experience. Nothing quite like it. It may have cost me a bit of my sanity, but it's all worth it, because it's for scie- Ahem. Our understanding of magic!"

Marquis glared suspiciously at the bandaged man, but oddly, Nakuma was the first one to respond. "So then, what do we have to do with this?"

The man blinked owlishly at the the female lizard, before responding. "Well... Before your arrival, I had been attempting to use other people to help me control the mist. I had thought that perhaps with more people I could generate a larger amount. Sadly, they did not have the mental fortitude to control it, and the mist consumed their souls, leaving only the husks you saw in the chamber you were previously contained in.

Eyes wider than saucers, Julius took another step back in fear. "Y-you don't plan on u-using us, d-do you?" he stammered out, already looking for means of escape.

The man waved his hand dismissively. "Of course not. That was just a silly little phase of mine, I've gotten over it. No, my plans for you three are far more grand. And with more of chance of a painful and horrific death!" he exclaimed, as if he has just announced that they had won a prize.

Marquis tentatively took a step forward. "And may I ask exactly what that is?"

"Why, you're going to find me the original source of the mist, and destroy it," he said grandly, waving his hands for emphasis.

Julius did the only thing that came naturally to him in such situations. He fainted.

* * *

"I think we're being chased."

Sven looked back briefly at his female counterpart in annoyance, and instantly regretted it. "You don't say?"

Behind them, snarling and screaming in a way that only monsters can, were dozens of trolls. _Because where there's one, there's a hundred, as the old saying goes._

Sven had never spent so much time running in his entire life. He supposed that it was good for his health at least, especially considering he would die if he stopped. He wondered very briefly what had happened to Julius, and bet that even now he was relaxing in some oversized chair back at the Tiber Septim. He had never hated the man more in his entire life. And he supposed Marquis must be nagging one of the cooks for another drink. The Breton always had been a ridiculous drunk. The day he stopped consuming alcohol was the day someone actually relied on Julius for something important.

A good distance away, underground, two people sneezed violently.

* * *

When Sed finally cleared the jungle, coming out on the other side into a clearing, he was relieved beyond all belief. Sure, he was now directly under the light which threated to burn him to an unsightly crisp, but he had a hood. What was there to worry about? Dual screams, followed by what sounded like stampeding horses, made him slowly turn around. _Oh, right._

Fidgeting nervously, Sed fished one of his daggers out from under his cloak. He promptly abandoned all plans of fighting once he saw Lyra and Sven run out of the jungle to collapse behind him, exhausted. Followed promptly by a sea of trolls. "You can't be serious. Daniel doesn't pay me enough to deal with this."

Sven looked up sharply. "You get paid?"

"Er... No. Figure of speech. Forget I said anything."

Drawing a second dagger and holding it in a reverse grip in his other hand, Sed motioned for the others to get up and draw their weapons. Sven shook his head. "No way mister showoff. You keep acting all flashy and over the top, well Gods damn it you're going to do it in combat too. I'm sure you'll be fine."

Lyra sported a cocky grin, though she was still breathing rather heavily. "Yeah, do you really want help from us measly mortals? I mean, if you think you're so weak that you really need our aid, then-"

Sed cut her off with a glare. "You're both racist. And this is really not the time for petty arguments, don't you think? I mean, I could take them all on myself, but that would require so muich effort, and I..."

Both humans just looked at him. Sed sweated for a moment, trying to think of a way he could get out of this still looked good. _Ah screw it. _"Okay, so maybe I kinda-sorta can't take on this many all at once. I'm not that damn impressive. I'm still a neophyte for Gods' sake."

Lyra's grin turned even more smug. "Good enough for me."

Sven grumbled something incoherent, apparently disappointed that he wouldn't get to watch the vampire get torn to shreds, but he stood up and drew his sword regardless, Lyra only a moment behind. The trolls snarled angrily, as if offended that they're prey would even try to resist being eaten. Sed watched them carefully, waiting for any of them to make a movement forward. "So, uh... You guys come here often?"

Even as Sven was in the middle of rolling his eyes, the trolls charged.

**A/N:** _Hah! Two days and two updates. I'd say that's something close to a miracle for me. Perhaps I should try lengthening the chapters while I'm at it..._


	25. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**City of Shadows**

_Chapter Twenty-four_

"Okay, so run that by me one more time. _What_ do you want us to do?"

The bandaged man looked at him oddly, as if he had just said something extremely stupid. _Who knows, maybe I did?_

Needless to say, the stranger's exclamation had caused everyone to react in their own special way. Julius had, as he always did when pressured, fainted. Nak had just stared and then let out a long hiss. And Marquis? He had been left speechless as he mind ground to a halt, trying to process what had just happened.

"I said, you're going to find the source of the mist and destroy."

"Right. Of course. Sure we are. I'm not going to ask why, since that's sort of obvious and all. Instead, I want to know _how_ exactly you plan on having us do this."

The man gave him that look again, and Marquis unconsciously took a step back, cowed. "That's not really my problem. I'm just here to send you in the right direction."

Despite the man's eyes, which were still drilling a hole through him, this was a bit more than Marquis was willing to handle. "So you're just going to send us on our merry way, with no clue what to do, no idea where to do it, and with the only reason being that you said so? Are you _insane_?"

"Possibly. But then, what is insanity, truly? For that matter, what is sanity? And who gets to decide which is which? Perhaps I am sane and you are insane. It's all a matter of perspective really. So in that respect, either everyone is insane, or no one is. Does that answer your question?" the man responded in a lecturing tone.

Before Marquis could even properly grasp what had just been said, Nakuma decided to speak for him. "Well, from _my_ perspective, you're nuts."

"Ah, touché, my rival."

The Argonian's eye twitched at that, and impressive feat for a lizard. _Rival? _

Julius, who had been unconscious for that entire exchange, finally began to stir. "Ugh... I just had the strangest nightmare. I could have sworn..."

He trailed off as he looked up at his surroundings, and upon realizing where he was, let out an exhausted sigh and fell backwards once more, his head bouncing off the ground. "Excuse me, but could you please tell me where I am?"

Marquis stared at the man he had so affectionately nicknamed "that useless idiot" in slight surprise. Why hadn't he thought to ask that?

The bandaged man laughed, though to Marquis it sounded more like a sickly cough. "I forgot to mention that, did I? You're in the Arcane University. Or rather its remnants."

Julius promptly shot to his feet at that. "What! T-t-t-he University? The most dangerous place in the entire city? The place no one had entered in... Well... Forever? Where the only exit is the Arboretum?"

The man nodded, and Julius rubbed his temples in thought as he wondered what God he had offended to get him in this mess. Marquis could swear he heard him quietly sobbing, but for once the drunk didn't fault him. The Arcane University. There were so many stories about the place, and none of them good.

The strange man turned to the Breton once more, and started speaking again, ignoring the Imperial who suddenly felt like screaming. "By the way, I do know where you should go. Or at least the general area."

"Oh? And where might that be?" Marquis asked, what little genuine curiosity he had being overwhelmed by a sudden sense of dread that he only got when Julius was about to drag him off on some potentially fatal trip."

"Why, White-Gold Tower of course."

After hearing this, Julius promptly fainted again, with Marquis joining him this time out of sheer shock. Nakuma just looked at them. "I had no idea they were that tired."

The bandaged man blinked.

* * *

Sven brought his sword forward in a wide arc, managing to keep the trolls at bay while he backed up. He noted absently that if he kept moving backwards, he'd eventually be up against the city wall, but that thought was overridden by his burning desire to not be eaten.

Lyra, however, seemed to be thriving on the opportunity to kill things. Sven actually cringed as she plunged her sword through the head of a nearby troll while laughing maniacally. Even the trolls seemed somewhat wary of her, as they refused to get in striking distance after that, which only served to infuriate the woman. Sed, for his part, was moving through the trolls with unnatural speed, slashing here and there with his daggers. Sven noticed that he had yet to receive so much as a scratch while he had already taken a gash to his left arm.

Despite the fact that they had been fighting for less than five minutes, Sven was already breathing hard, which he supposed was just more evidence of his old age. Lyra was only slightly winded, while Sed didn't appear affected at all. Sven cursed him in his head, since he didn't have enough breath to properly form an insult.

Even though they had managed to kill nearly a dozen of the monsters, there were still more of them coming out of the jungle, and it wasn't long until Lyra found herself shoulder to shoulder with Sven, with their backs to the wall. Sed was nowhere in sight, and Sven found himself hoping the vampire was on the bottom of a pile of trolls somewhere. Lyra, for her part, was somewhat disappointed. If the vampire was going to get killed, she at least wanted to watch. Neither of them seemed to consider that they were in a position of imminent death themselves.

"You know, there's rather a lot of them."

"Not chickening out on me now, are you old man?"

"And if I were, what exactly do you suppose I would do? Run? My back's to a wall. Beg for mercy? Like these things are even smart enough to understand what I'm saying."

Lyra ignored the growl from the closest troll as she responded. "Yeah, they are pretty stupid, aren't they. Coming at us in large numbers like this, just for a meal? You'd think there'd be easier things out there for them to hunt, which wouldn't kill them in the process, but I guess these things don't have brains big enough to realize that."

The growling only increased as the conversation went on. "Especially with that vampire. What on Nirn would possess them to go after him? I'd bet he tastes horrible, being dead and all."

"Just further shows their idiocy."

The growls quickly turned to roars as the trolls rushed the pair all at once. Sven's eyes widened as he realized there was no way to fend them all off, even with Lyra there. Just as it started to sink in that he might actually die to something as simplistic as a feral troll when he had gone through so much already, a much louder roar sounded over the others, and something came flying through the air to land in front of them, its tail twirling to crush nearly a dozen of the things at once.

Lyra and Sven stared in shock as a familiar figure on the back gave a slight wave to them. "Now this is what I'd call a _dynamic entry_."

Sven finally realized what Daniel the vampire was riding, completely ignoring what he had said. It was the same giant lizard thing that had attacked them earlier. "You have to be kidding me. That's cheating!"

Lyra stared at him incredulously. "Are you complaining that he brought something to kill all the trolls with? Seriously?"

"But... But... That shouldn't be possible. That thing's a wild animal, and he shouldn't be able to ride it anyway with nothing to hold on to, and... And... You know what? I give up. Call me when the carnage is over."

With that, he plopped down on the ground, ignoring the lizard that was now tearing the trolls apart. Lyra watched on from her position, wishing she had a snack. She thought it was a very good show.

**A/N:** J_ust for those that may be interested, any fans of the show Evangelion, or even anyone that's just seen it in passing, should check out the fic Nobody Dies by Gregg Landsman. It's by far one of the most entertaining things I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Yay for advertising!_


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